Blood Deep
by FlowerPot21
Summary: Casey's past comes back to kill her...Centered on Casey. EO, JC, OFC. Much darker and more violent in later chapters, so read at your own discretion. Next in series: MoneyLust
1. Prologue

Blood Deep

Prologue

**Rita and Christopher Mulroney's Home**

**Dublin, Ireland**

**7:45 PM Tuesday, December 5**

Maggie smiled as she placed another family ornament on the Christmas tree. The snow was coming down in gentle flurries and Maggie bundled into herself as she looked upon the tree. The tree took up most of the space in the small family room, but her uncle loved big trees, and it drove her Aunt Rita crazy.

Rita was a rather short woman of average weight, and she had short, dark brown hair and green eyes. Christopher had wavy hair and a pot belly that came with age, but he was a nice man and always cared for his family. They loved Maggie and she loved them deeply.

She sighed and turned on the television.

"Aunt, Uncle, the special's on," she called. "Nothing else on this damned thing anyway."

Rita came out of the kitchen, drying her hands off on a dishtowel.

"Turn it up will you?" Rita requested.

Maggie giggled. "It's ain't like you're gonna miss anythin'," she said. "We watch it every year."

"Oh, nothing wrong with a little tradition," Christopher said as he came in with his cider and sat on the couch.

Maggie went into the kitchen. "How's the soup comin' along?"

"Just fine," Rita smiled. "It should be ready within the hour."

Maggie cut a piece of bread and stuffed it into her mouth as she opened up the fridge. "Do we have any more dipping broth?"

"Your uncle went and ate it," Rita huffed. "I promise you I will make some more."

"Please," Maggie said as she wrapped her arms around her Aunt. "You know it's me favorite."

Rita placed her hands on Maggie's arms. "Of that, I am well aware, and I'll get to work on it right away."

Maggie kissed her Aunt's cheek before she went over to the stove to stir the soup. Rita took out the necessary materials for the dipping sauce that Maggie liked with the bread. Maggie had been living with them since the age of four after her mother died, and she was more like a daughter to them than just a niece…she had all the drama of a teenaged daughter, and it was a pleasant time too. Now she was mostly grown up, but still a bit naïve.

At twenty seven, she was ready for the world, but was hesitant to venture out into it.

"Aunt," Maggie began. "Do you think it's possible that I can go to America?"

Rita turned and looked at Maggie.

"Niece, I don't think it's a good idea," Rita said hesitantly.

"Please Aunt," Maggie implored. "I'm ready. I'm fine."

"Your uncle will not hear of it," Rita said hesitantly. "Alright, you are going to have to convince him yourself that you are truly ready to go to America."

"Alright," Maggie said. "But during dinner."

Rita nodded conspiratorially.

After about an hour, dinner was ready.

"Uncle, I've set your place for you," Maggie called.

"I'm still watchin' the special," he called. "Let me finish me cider, then I'll be ready."

"Uncle, you've gone half the day withewt anythin' to eat," Maggie insisted.

"My dear, please come and eat and spare us all the symphony of your hunger flatulence," Rita called and Maggie giggled.

"Do you have to be so mean?" Maggie asked.

The phone rang and Rita went into the kitchen to pick up.

"Hello, Mulroney residence," Rita answered.

Maggie came into the kitchen laughing and she stopped when she saw her aunt's face fall.

"What?" Rita asked. "My darling, it's been so long…well are you alright? Okay, okay, calm down. We'll send her, don't worry about a thing."

Rita hung up the phone and leaned against the counter.

"Aunt?" Maggie inquired.

Rita sighed and pulled her niece into a tight hug and kissed her forehead.

"You just got your ticket to America," Rita said.

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**8:00 PM Thursday, December 7**

Casey woke up with a start, and she looked around her dark bedroom and she sighed. She threw her legs over the side of her bed and put her hands on her belly. She felt a little bump, and it made her smile because now the baby was real to her. She was into her third month of pregnancy, and it was exciting.

She rubbed her belly and closed her eyes.

She hurt.

She hurt physically and mentally, and she couldn't bring herself to tell anyone. She wished that John was with her tonight because now she craved his touch. Since Thanksgiving, things had been unpleasant between them, and she hated that they were in a cold war right now.

She heard the doorbell ring and she got up and headed downstairs.

She looked through the peephole and she gasped as she quickly opened up the door.

"Oh my God," Casey gasped as she pulled Maggie into a tight hug.

Maggie felt tears fall down her face as she placed her hands on Casey's cheeks and kissed her several times before pulling away to see that Casey was crying too.

"Sister," Casey sniffled as she hugged Maggie again. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Aunt sent me here," Maggie explained. "I'm never leaving you again, sister."

"I need you," Casey cried. "I really need you, Maggie."


	2. Chapter One

Blood Deep

Chapter One

**Martha Brannagan's Home**

**Northeast Yonkers**

**8:30 PM**

Martha plugged in the vacuum and began to vacuum the stairs. It was a high traffic area because her three boys were always in and out and her husband as well. She used the attachment and vacuumed the first stair thoroughly. She looked up the stairs and sighed. She hated this job. She was glad that her husband took the boys out to dinner tonight because she had to catch up on her schedule.

She made her way up the steps and she paused and wiped the sweat off of her forehead.

Because the vacuum was on, she didn't hear the man enter her home through the back door.

He made his way quietly through the kitchen and the family room then behind Martha.

Martha bent over and picked up the attachment.

He seized his opportunity.

He walked up the steps and grabbed a robust Martha around her waist and began dragging her down the stairs.

"HELP!" She screamed.

She fought and punched her assailant in the stomach and he grunted and she ran up the stairs, her heart pounding. The man darted up the stairs and ran after her and grabbed her again, toppling her in the hallway to the bedrooms.

"NO!" She screamed as she kicked and scratched at him. She sunk her finger nails into his face and he screamed. She curled her fingers into a fist and pulled off the mask he was wearing, getting a good look at his face.

She scratched him again and then kicked him in the groin.

He rolled off of her and she crawled away and got to her feet and ran into the boys' bathroom and locked the door.

She opened the door to her eldest son's room and hoped that he was still down.

When she did open the door, he was standing right in front of her and he slapped her and grabbed her by her hair and threw her to the ground.

The man took her by her arms and dragged her out to the hallway.

He straddled her again and he ripped off her pants.

"PLEASE! LEAVE ME ALONE!" She cried.

She screamed as he brutally raped and beat her in the hallway.

"Yes, scream!" He yelled. "Scream for your daddy!"

When he was finished, he stood up and grabbed the cord to the vacuum.

Martha began to crawl away.

"No," she cried. "No!"

He wrapped the cord around her neck and strangled her.

She clawed at his hands but she was losing her strength.

When she was dead, he dropped her and she fell with a sickening thud to the floor. He took out his box cutters and turned her over onto her back and cut an A into the middle of her back.

He then picked up her body and hung her off of the banister in front of the front door so that her husband and the police would have a nice surprise when they got home.

He smiled as he looked upon his work with satisfaction. His lust had only been abated temporarily, but this one would have to do until he found another one.

Yonkers was a cocoon, and he found what he needed from this part of New York.

He was back, and he was going to finish what he started.

**Olivia Benson's Apartment**

**9:15 PM**

Elliot was in Olivia's kitchen cleaning up after they finished dinner while she showered. She was a bit sullen that he had the pleasure of eating a hamburger and she had a heaping salad, a chicken breast, and broccoli.

He admitted that he should have been a little supportive, but he wanted a hamburger and fries.

He put away her dishes like she wanted because she had a thing about her dishwasher. She didn't like using the dishwasher, and he wondered why the heck not. It would save him a lot of elbow grease, that was for sure.

Once he cleaned up the kitchen, he went into the living room and began to put away the movies _he_ watched because Olivia wanted to read. She read one of Lizzie's books for school, and she had smiled as she finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird. "Piece o' cake," she had giggled. "Do your kids possess _any_ of Kathy's qualities?"

Now that he thought about it, Maureen was most like Kathy than his other children. The twins had picked up all his bad habits, and Kathleen was in between. Despite the faults, Olivia loved the fact that his kids took after him because that showed that he invested more time in raising them than he thought. Two self deprecating people in a relationship yielded a lot of interesting conversations and revelations about each other.

Elliot grinned as he thought about Olivia. He missed her at work, and he thought about her all the time. She was beautiful, even when she was down. Even though she was recuperating from the surgery, she still loved and cared and Elliot found himself falling deeper in love with her.

He went to the hall closet and opened it up. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a velvet box. He opened it up and looked at the white gold, three stone, princess cut diamond ring. He bought it a few days before Thanksgiving, and he showed it to the kids, and they all agreed that she would like it. He thought about proposing to her on Thanksgiving day, but when Casey told them that she and John were having a baby, he didn't want to overshadow that, so he held off.

He closed the box and put it back into his pocket and closed the closet door. He shook his head as he went into the bedroom, his mind now preoccupied.

Olivia pushed the shower curtain over and just as she was stepping out of the tub, Elliot came in.

"Oh my God!" He exclaimed.

"Elliot!" Olivia gasped as she grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her nude body quickly.

He had his back turned to her. "Liv, I am so sorry."

Olivia cinched the towel tightly around her and she sighed and shook her head. "You can turn around now."

Elliot turned round hesitantly, his face beet red and eyes downcast.

"Honey, I'm covered, it's okay," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

He looked into her eyes. "Baby, I'm sorry."

She chuckled and they stared at each other for a long moment before she held her hand out. He took it and she pulled him gently closer and kissed his lips.

"You've got to work on your timing, El," she grinned before kissing his cheek.

He chuckled and kissed her hand. She was fresh from a shower, flushed, and beside the towel, otherwise naked. Her necklace glistened from being showered and little droplets dripped down her neck and shoulders. This wasn't very productive for him, and she looked at him strangely, her doe eyes boring into his. He'd already seen the top half of her but not _all_ of her.

How could she possibly think him strange and she was just in a towel? He wanted nothing more than to pick her up and carry her to bed and make love to her, but two things stopped him: 1) She was healing from surgery 2) They needed to wait.

_It is better to marry than to burn_.

That scripture had been taunting him for months now, and he just had to keep restraining himself and being patient because he knew that she was his soul mate. He knew that she was the one he was meant to be with for the rest of his life, and with that promise on the horizon, he may as well wait. What was a few more months, in a lifetime? Olivia was patient to a fault, so he was pretty sure that she had pretty much rationalized the same line of thinking already. Seven years had gone by with them building a deep friendship and partnership, and now that it was more personal, it would work in their favor to wait just a little longer.

"Elliot?" She inquired.

"Yeah?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like a little privacy," she smiled. "Why don't you go cool off?"

He nodded and left her bedroom, trying to get the image of her completely naked out of his mind.

"God help me," he whispered.

His cell phone rang and he picked up. "Stabler."

Olivia couldn't stop smiling as she got dressed. Elliot could be really cute when he wanted to be. The look of embarrassment on his face was classic and she knew that a thousand thoughts were rolling through his head. Elliot was a man that operated on self conviction mostly; he analyzed every little mistake and took it to heart. Even though he was stubborn as hell and not easy to admit when he was wrong, he was still so endearing, and that made her love him even more.

This time around, Elliot knocked and she tied her robe around herself before opening the door.

"Hmm?" She answered.

"I caught a case," he said. "I'll be back later on, okay?"

"Okay," she said before she kissed him softly. "Be careful."

"I will," he said as he kissed her again. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said with a smile.

**Martha Brannagan's Home**

**Northeast Yonkers**

**10:15 PM **

Roxanna yawned again as she and Elliot pulled up to the crime scene.

"My boyfriend does not like me to be out this late," she mentioned as Elliot parked the car.

"Well, you need a new boyfriend," Elliot commented. "You're a cop."

"I am a woman first," she sighed. "And he is a man. In a relationship, there will be some jealousy. Why? Does your girlfriend approve of you always being out late?"

Elliot chuckled and got out the car.

He lifted the crime scene tape and allowed Roxanna to enter first then himself.

They met a uniform outside the house, bouncing around from the cold.

"I'm Detective Stabler, this is Detective Giardi," Elliot introduced.

"A real sick bastard this one," the uniform said. "The victim's name was Martha Brannagan, 38, homemaker…her husband and sons found her hanging from the railing of the stairs naked and murdered."

"Cruel bastard," Roxanna commented.

The detectives walked into the house where they heard crying in the living room.

"Why don't you canvas and I'll talk to her husband and boys," Elliot suggested.

"You got it," Roxanna said as she went over to Melinda.

Elliot went into the living room where Martha's eight and ten year old were sitting, wiping tears from their faces and sniffling, and then their father staring out the window.

Elliot always dreaded this part of the job.

"What kind of sick…disgusting…" Eric Brannagan began in his grief as he turned to Elliot. "Will somebody take my boys upstairs?"

"Sure," Elliot said. "Uh, Frankfurt, can you please take the children upstairs, keep 'em company 'til I get up there?"

The uniform nodded and took the boys upstairs.

"C'mon, boys."

The boys were taken upstairs and Eric sighed and sat on the couch.

"My boys," Eric began. "They saw their mother, my wife…mutilated, dead…please tell me you're going to catch the bastard that did this."

"We'll do our best, but I need your help," Elliot said.

Eric nodded. "My sons and I went out to dinner tonight, to give Martha a break so that she could catch up on some cleaning. When we came home, her dead body was the first thing we saw. My eight year old, Brian started crying and my ten year old, Eric Jr. just stood there…I told them to cover their eyes, but there were too in shock. I got a knife and cut her down and that's how she ended up on the floor. That's great. The last time I touch my wife, she's cold and lifeless."

"Mr. Brannagan," Elliot said compassionately. "First of all, don't let that be your last memory of your wife. Secondly, you and your boys are going to need counseling…"

"I don't want counseling!" Eric shouted. "I want my wife back! I want the bastard that did this to burn in hell!"

Eric began to sob and he sat down again.

"Detective Stabler," Roxanna called.

"Excuse me," Elliot said as he got up and went over to where Roxanna and Warner were.

"The victim was raped then strangled," Warner reported. "The perp roughed her up and mutilated her. Breasts, arms, thighs, abdomen…carved a letter A into her back."

"Sounds personal," Elliot sighed. "Especially if the perp wanted her dead body to be seen by others, hell, if he had the opportunity, he would have hung her body out in Times Square. He wanted to embarrass her and her family."

"And the psycho is still out there," Roxanna commented.

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**11:00 PM**

Casey rested her head on her sister's lap and Maggie smoothed over her hair.

"Why is your hair blonde?" Maggie asked in her thick Irish accent.

"Makes me look less pale," Casey explained.

"Daddy wouldn't appreciate it," Maggie said as she played with a few strands.

"I don't care," Casey sighed. "It doesn't matter anyway, it'll go back to red. I'm three months pregnant."

Maggie gasped and smacked Casey's behind. "Feisty lass!" Maggie laughed. "I can't believe you've got a little baby in ya! Sister's gonna be a mummy!"

For the first time, the reality of it really hit Casey. She was going to be a mother. It was astounding and scary at the same time, and she couldn't believe it. She was going to be responsible for another human being. She and John were having a baby together. John was going to be a daddy.

Casey began to cry and Maggie brushed her fingers through Casey's hair.

"Is the daddy around?" Maggie asked.

"Yes," Casey sniffled. "We've been together for a year…his name is John Munch. He's a detective."

"Does he know?" Maggie asked.

"He knows," Casey grinned. "He's happy, and he can't understand why I'm like crying every other day, but Maggie, I just can't tell him about us…about our family. I'm afraid that he won't want to be with me anymore."

Maggie sighed. "C'mon Casey. What you need is a warm bath and some tea. You look like death."

"Thank you Sister," Casey said sarcastically. "But my stomach is awful."

Maggie got up and got her luggage and went upstairs.

"Nice room, Casey," Maggie complimented. "Are you sure John won't mind?"

"Nah," Casey said as she rubbed her tummy. "John will want to meet you. You'll like him. He's funny, intelligent…"

"Fertile," Maggie teased as she kicked off her shoes in the guest bedroom. "So, you only have two rooms…where's the little one going to sleep and play?"

Casey put her hand on her forehead as she walked upstairs. "Maggie, I can't think about that right now."

Maggie unbuttoned her blouse and went into the bathroom and turned on the water for a bath. Casey took off her night shirt and pants and cast them onto the bed in her room before she went into the bathroom with her sister.

"My boobs hurt," Casey complained.

"Yeah, you've got big knockers," Maggie said with a smile. "Hey, I quit smoking."

"That's great Maggie," Casey said as she stepped into the tub.

Maggie stepped into the tub too. Their relationship was stronger than ever, and it felt as if Maggie had never left. They both had a dark secret that they'd been holding for a long time, and their family hinged on their silence. Both sisters held on, sticking together, even with the distance between them.

"I'm glad you came here," Casey said as she drew her knees up to her chest. "I didn't know where else to turn."

Maggie grinned. "Let me see your tum-tum."

Casey lengthened her legs out and laid back a little, sinking into the warm water. Maggie put her hands on the slight bump in Casey's belly.

"Ain't nothin' there yet but a pooch," Maggie grinned as she shook Casey's belly.

Casey began to cry. "It hurts so much, Maggie," she sniffled.

"I know," Maggie said sympathetically. "But we're strong, and we're together again…they won't break us apart this time. I promise it."


	3. Chapter Two

Blood Deep

Chapter Two

**Martha Branigan's Home**

**Northeast Yonkers**

**12:00 AM Friday, December 8**

Elliot sighed as he walked into a bedroom where the Brannagan sons were sitting rather dejectedly. Eric came in and kneeled in front of them, trying to gather his own strength.

"Listen boys, this detective wants to talk to you for a moment," Eric explained. "I'll be downstairs taking care of some things okay?"

Eric Jr. nodded.

Eric left the room and Elliot pulled a chair from the desk and sat in it, getting to the boys' level.

"Why did they hurt my mom?" Brian asked.

"That's what we're going to find out Brian," Elliot said.

"It's not fair," Eric Jr. said as he got up and looked out the window. "Why couldn't they just leave her alone?"

"Maybe they'll bring her back to life," Brian said innocently. "They can help her right?"

"No Brian," Eric Jr. said harshly.

"Okay," Elliot broke in quickly. "This is not you guys' fault. The person that did this was just a very bad person that wasn't thinking about how much it would hurt you and your dad. I promise that we will get whoever hurt your mother, okay?"

Brian nodded. "We should have done our chores like she told us. Then she would have been able to come with us and this wouldn't have happened."

"Boys," Elliot sighed. "This is not your fault. It isn't your dad's fault either. The person that hurt your mom is the one that's responsible for this. He took your mom's life away, and we're going to put him in jail, okay?"

Eric Jr. nodded.

Elliot got up and went downstairs. Cragen was there and he surveyed the scene.

"Warner took the body," Cragen reported. "She'll perform the autopsy at nine this morning."

"The perp got in through the back door," Roxanna said. "Looks like he picked the lock. Mrs. Brannagan was vacuuming, so it is likely that she didn't hear him come in."

"Blitz attack," Elliot huffed. "Sick bastard. He used the cord to choke the life out of her. What was the A cut into her back supposed to mean?"

"Her husband didn't know," Roxanna explained. "He said that she wouldn't hurt a soul, and that she was very social. She went to parties, dinners, and she met at the gym with a group of mothers once a week."

"Public place," Cragen said. "Anonymous…Mrs. Brannagan could have caught the perp's eye. I'll send Munch and Fin to check out her gym, and go door to door with the neighbors."

Elliot looked at pictures of Martha Brannagan and her family.

"Alright, you two go home, try and catch a few winks," Cragen said. "I want you at Warner's nine o'clock sharp."

"Yes sir," Roxanna said respectfully.

Elliot and Roxanna went to their car.

"You mind if I make a stop before I drop you?" Elliot asked.

"No, not at all," Roxanna said.

"Thanks," Elliot said.

**Kathy Archer's Home**

**1:17 AM**

Kathy ran her fingers through her hair as she rushed downstairs.

"Alright," she huffed as she wrapped her robe tighter about herself and opened the door.

"Elliot?" She asked, feeling the draft of winter. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Kath, you shouldn't answer the door like that," he said as he came in the house and looked around.

She closed the door and looked at him.

"Well, you were pounding on it like a maniac," she chuckled. "What's going on?"

Elliot checked the back door and the windows before sighing and coming over to her.

"How are the kids?" He asked.

"They're fine, El," Kathy said, wanting to know what was up. "Kathleen is spending the weekend with her friends, and the twins have off tomorrow because of the snow. I was going to let the go to Terry Campton's tomorrow to spend the day. They begged me to let them go. What is going on?"

"A woman was raped and murdered three streets down from you," he explained. " The guy is still on the loose."

"Oh my God," Kathy gasped. "I thought I heard a lot of sirens. Any leads?"

"No," Elliot said. "But Kath, just…be careful. And watch the twins…check who it is at the door before answering. Don't open it like you did."

Elliot and Kathy remained friends after the divorce, and even though they didn't live under the same roof anymore, Elliot still protected his family. Sometimes, he was overly protective and the kids would just roll their eyes, but Kathy took him seriously. She would be extra vigilant if he said to because she trusted him.

"Alright," she said softly. "How's Liv?"

"She's okay," Elliot said with a grin. "Can't wait to get back to work."

"Well, she certainly impatient, isn't she?" Kathy chuckled. "Thanks for coming over to make sure we're okay. I'll definitely be more careful. I hope you catch this guy."

Elliot nodded. "See you later."

"Okay," she said. "Bye El."

With that he walked out. "Lock the door."

"I will," she said as she walked out with him. "Elliot, you be careful too…seems like the longer you're on the job, the more dangerous it gets."

"I'll be okay," he reassured her.

"I know, but the kids…they worry about you a lot," she divulged. "Especially Maureen, considering your blood pressure and all."

"My blood pressure is just fine," he said. "You guys worry too much. I won't die, I promise."

"Elliot," Kathy chastised.

"I mean, not on the job," he chuckled. "Me and Liv…we have each other's back."

Kathy nodded. "Okay."

"Get back inside, it's cold out here," he said. "I'll pick up the kids next week, okay?"

"Okay," she said. "When they're with you, make them do their chores…they're slacking on my end, and because Olivia has been at her apartment, they didn't have her to remind you all…"

"I'll make them do their chores," he said. "Apparently, they've learned about child labor laws and are holding out for more allowance."

Kathy waved him off. "Bye Elliot."

She went back into her home and closed the door. He heard the lock and he was relieved.

He went back to the car and Roxanna sighed.

"Who is that?" She asked.

"My ex-wife," Elliot explained as he put his seat belt on. "Kathy. I just told her to be on the lookout, you know?"

"You're divorced?" She asked.

"Yeah," he sighed as he let the car get warm again. "Over a year. We still talk though."

"That is good," Roxanna remarked. "Do you have any children?"

"Four," he said. "Why?"

"Well, we have been partners for a couple of weeks, and we don't really know each other that well," she shrugged. "We have just been working like robots and neither of us have opened up. I blame myself for not being more open. I know you want your other partner back. She is very beautiful. Is she the one you are seeing?"

"Yes," he admitted. "Why? Is that a problem?"

"No," Roxanna said. "Your captain does not know?"

"Blind eye," he said.

"Oh," Roxanna nodded. "Before the divorce-"

"A few months after it was finalized," Elliot interrupted. "Ready?"

Roxanna looked at him.

**Middleton Suites**

**Yonkers **

**4:00 AM **

James Kinsella puffed away on his cigarette as he made a phone call. He finished off his eighth cigarette in four hours' time and killed it in the ash tray. He turned down the television and tossed the remote control onto the bed and began to pace as the phone rang and rang.

Finally, someone picked up.

"What?"

"I'm gettin' real impatient," James said in a calm voice.

"She moved a couple of years ago, and I don't know where she is."

"Well, you better find her," he said. "I want her, you understand me? I only have one more left before I come after her. You better find her and bring her to me. She is mine, and always will be."

"You don't have to do this, please. I'll find you another girl, just not her."

"You owe Hagan, you owe me," James warned. "And you **will** give me what you owe. This is your last chance, so you find her by any means possible."

With that, he hung up and replaced the phone on the receiver. He then picked up his cell phone and dialed another number.

"Hagan, it's Jimmy," James said.

"I don't want you screwin' around too much, Jim," Charles Hagan warned. "You've already got Maryland and Virginia on your ass, so don't fuck this up. I know this is personal."

"It's beyond personal," James smiled dementedly. "It's about a moment that I've savored…"

"You're fuckin' sick, Kinsella," Hagan said. "Just don't let it rain down on me. I've already got the police looking around my home…neighbors are getting suspicious. Take care of it quickly, or else, it'll be money he owes me this time."

"Got it," James said before hanging up.

He sat on the bed and flipped through the channels.


	4. Chapter Three

Blood Deep

Chapter Three

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**7:35 AM**

John used his key and opened up Casey's townhouse. He walked in and he found some luggage in the foyer, and he furrowed his eyebrows.

Just then a younger looking woman came from the laundry room with just a tank top and panties on.

"Hey Casey Ann, did you-" She sopped when she saw John standing in the doorway, looking confused.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked.

"Oh, you must be Casey's love," Maggie smiled as she approached him.

"Yeah, but who are you?" He asked. "And why the hell don't you have any clothes on?"

"Oh, I'm Maggie Novak," she explained as she held out her hand to shake his. "I'm Casey's sister."

John took a step back. "Casey has a sister?"

"Aye, but she's older," she frowned a bit.

John was silent for a moment.

"She's got a bit of morning sickness," she said as she went into the kitchen. "Good thing she's got a doctor's appointment this morning."

"Yeah, I came to pick her up," John said. "Where is she? We're going to be late."

"Throwin' up," Maggie said.

John went upstairs to Casey's bedroom and he heard her vomiting. He knocked on the bathroom door.

"Come in," she called miserably.

He opened the door and she looked up.

"Hey," Casey sighed as she dabbed at her face with a washcloth.

She was in her jeans and a bra and she ran her fingers through her hair as she stood up.

"Just give me a few minutes," she asked of him softly.

He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"You okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine," she said as she went over to the sink and picked up her tooth brush.

"You look really pale," he said as he put his hands on her hips.

"John," she whined. "Stop, I'm trying to get ready."

"Alright, I'll go talk to your half naked sister," he huffed. "Why is she half naked anyway?"

"It's a thing we have," Casey said as she began to brush her teeth.

"It's an odd and awkward thing," he said as he took in her messy bed. "You really are a fidgety sleeper, it's not just after making love."

"Shut up," she huffed. "I haven't made my bed in three freakin' days, lay off."

John sat on her bed and waited for her to finish getting dressed.

"Okay, I'm ready," Casey said as she pulled on her coat.

He looked at her. She was beginning to fill out a little bit from the baby; her breasts were definitely bigger and she looked like they were causing her pain. She was nearly coming out of her blouse, and she just looked uncomfortable in general.

They walked downstairs together.

"Maggie, we're leaving," Casey said as she opened up the coat closet and took out her tennis shoes.

"Okay, Sister," Maggie said as she came out of the kitchen. "You didn't want breakfast?"

"God no, but thank you, Maggie," Casey said. "Go ahead and settle in, okay?"

"Okay, good luck with the appointment," Maggie well wished. "I want pictures."

"We'll bring some, I promise," Casey said as she and John headed out.

**En Route to St. Catherine's Hospital**

**8:15 AM**

Casey groaned as she rested her head against the headrest on the passenger side of her car. John reached his hand over and rubbed her belly.

"Stomach?" He asked.

"Mmhm," she nodded. "I don't like this part of it."

She put her hands over his and furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to fight her nausea.

"How come you never told me you had a sister?" He asked.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "My family is complicated."

"So is mine and I like to think that's one of the many reasons why we love each other," he chuckled.

She smiled.

"You're awfully romantic when you want to be," she laughed. "But I should have been more honest with you. I do have siblings. My baby sister Maggie, and I have two older brothers, Daniel and Kevin."

John nodded. "Well, I've met one sibling."

"And you don't want to meet the others," she grinned. "Trust me, Maggie is really the only one that will like you. She's a free spirit. Be careful, honey."

The snow began to fall again, covering the street. Casey never liked driving in the snow.

John had to take his hand off of her belly and put it onto the steering wheel. It was going to be a long, cold winter ahead. It was supposed to only get up to thirty degrees in the city, and he was glad that Casey made an early appointment so that she could spend the rest of the day at home. She was forced to take a day off because of the morning sickness.

She wasn't looking well, and she certainly hadn't been sleeping well. She had dark circles around her eyes, and she hadn't been able to keep anything down. She would barely let him touch her anymore, and she was guarded again, like she was when they first began seeing each other.

"So, what's with your sister's accent?" He asked.

"She grew up in Ireland," Casey sighed. "I mean, when we were little, we all had accents because we were all born in Ireland, but my Aunt and Uncle kept Maggie and my dad took us to Virginia, and we lost our accents as we got older."

He nodded as he pulled into the parking garage of the hospital.

He found a close space and then they got out.

**St. Catherine's Hospital**

**Prenatal Clinic**

**Examination Room C**

**9:30 AM**

Casey sighed as she lifted her blouse and unbuttoned her jeans and lowered them below her bikini line. She could clearly see a slight bump, and she grimaced. John sat in the chair next to the bed and took her hand in his.

Their OB/GYN Dr. Alice Beacon, turned on the sonogram machine and picked up the indicator and put the cord around her neck. She picked up the gel and shook it out.

"Okay, Casey this is going to be a bit cold," she warned before squeezing the gel onto Casey's belly.

"It is cold," Casey chuckled.

"Ah, I see you've got a little bump," Dr. Beacon mused as she put the indicator on Casey's tummy. "Just give me a minute to find the baby…there's the little one. There's your baby."

Casey smiled and reached over to the screen. "That's our baby? Is it supposed to look like that?"

"Yeah, the baby is perfect," Dr. Beacon reported. "Right size…there's a good healthy heartbeat."

John was amazed by the steady staccato of the baby's heartbeat. "When the heart is beating that fast, that means that the baby is healthy, right?"

"Yes," Dr. Beacon smiled. "I'm taking some pictures."

After the sonogram, the doctor wiped off Casey's abdomen and Casey redressed and sat up while she and John waited on the pictures.

After about twenty minutes, Dr. Beacon came back with the envelope containing the pictures and then she sat down.

"Well, you've lost a little weight since the last time you came to see me," Dr. Beacon said, looking at Casey's chart. "How have you been feeling?"

"I've had really bad morning sickness," Casey explained. "And I haven't been able to sleep."

"Well, nausea and insomnia are common symptoms," Dr. Beacon said.

"I'm trying to eat, but everything just makes me sick," Casey complained. "But I'm afraid to take anything stronger than Pepto."

"Well, just keep up with the regimen of Pepto-Bismol, and try to eat light," Dr. Beacon recommended. "Also, try to eat green, leafy veggies too for the folic acid."

Casey nodded.

"Been taking your prenatal vitamins?"

"Yes," Casey said.

"Well, for the most part, you and your baby are healthy, but you should definitely be resting," Dr. Beacon advised. "You told me yourself that you have a stressful job, so you might want to take it easy. The first trimester can be pretty treacherous for the baby. You're not in the danger zone yet, but miscarriages often occur in the first trimester due to stress."

Casey nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you in six weeks," Dr. Beacon said with a bright smile.

Casey and John walked to their car hand in hand, both of them happy about their baby. Even though the baby was unplanned, it was a welcome surprise that both of them were embracing with each passing day.

John put his arm around Casey's shoulders and kissed her forehead.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she said with a smile.

They got into the car and headed home, unaware that two men in a black Mercedes was following them.

"These pictures are amazing," Casey marveled. "You take these to show to the guys at work."

She fished his wallet from his pocket and put the pictures in it.

Casey pocketed the pictures and settled in for the ride home. John noticed that she caressed over her belly every few minutes and it was becoming a habit.

"My clothes are getting tight," Casey complained. "My boobs hurt too. It's your fault, you know."

"How is that my fault?" He asked.

"You're the one that fertilized me," she huffed.

"Well you weren't exactly fighting me off," he joked.

"Whatever, shut up," she groused.

He stopped in front of her townhouse.

"I'm taking the car today, you mind?" He asked.

"Nope," she sighed as she leaned over to kiss him. "I'm not going anywhere today. Come home early though so you can have dinner with me and Maggie."

"Okay," he said before kissing her again.

She got out the car and closed the door and waved as he drove off.

Casey trotted up the steps and searched for her keys to her home. Just then, the door opened.

"Hey," Maggie said. "I want to-"

She stopped when she saw two men approaching. Casey turned around and then backed into the house. When she tried closing the door, the men blocked her efforts and burst through.

"Get away!" Maggie screamed.

"Shut up!" One of the bigger men said gruffly. "I got a message from your father."

Casey stood in front of her sister protectively. "You tell my father to stay the hell out of my life!"

"He said that you better not say a word," the second man warned.

"Get out!" Casey yelled. "Get the hell out of my house!"

The two men left and closed the door on the way out.

Casey stood in shock for a few moments and Maggie wrapped her arms around her sister.

"I-I don't feel very well," Casey said as she began to feel weak and nauseous.

Maggie helped her to the couch.

"Sons of bitches," Maggie growled. "You just rest, I'll get you some tea."

"I don't want tea, Maggie!" Casey yelled as she began to cry. "I want him out of our life! I want it to stop!"

"Shh," Maggie said softly. "You've got a fever, Sister. You really need to lie down and relax. This isn't good for the baby you've got in you."

The sisters held on to each other tightly.

"We'll be okay," Maggie promised. "Don't worry about them. Just lay down."

Casey took off her coat and laid down and she shivered.

Maggie covered her with the blanket and kissed her forehead.

"Let me see the pictures of me little niece or nephew," Maggie said excitedly as she moved Casey's feet onto her lap.

"They're in my coat pocket," Casey said as she relaxed.

Maggie searched in Casey's pocket and found the pictures from the sonogram.

"Aw, would you look at that," Maggie smiled. "I can't wait to see this little one."

"Join the club," Casey mused.

Maggie put her hand on her sister's tummy and smiled.

**1-6 Precinct**

**SVU Squad Room**

**11:27 AM**

Elliot put up pictures of Martha Branigan and he shook his head.

Brutal son of a bitch, he thought to himself.

Roxanna was sitting at her amazingly neat desk, and Elliot couldn't help but feel a little irritated when Roxanna insisted that she move Olivia's things. He took it upon himself to do so and put her things into a box and set it on top of a filing cabinet in Cragen's office.

"Considering how violent the rape and murder was, it couldn't have been the first time," Roxanna pondered. "This definitely isn't the first victim."

"Well, have you looked up similar MO?" Elliot asked.

"Nothing," Roxanna sighed.

John walked into the precinct.

"Hey, you guys caught a case?" He asked as he took off his coat.

"Yeah, last night," Roxanna said.

"How was the appointment?" Elliot asked.

"It went well," John sighed as he came and looked at the pictures. "Casey and the baby are fine."

"That's great," Elliot grinned.

John looked at the crime scene photos.

"Damn," he huffed. "Looks like the perp has a serious anger management problem."

"More than that," Elliot said, shaking his head. "I'm trying to figure out what's with the letter A in her back. Eric Branigan swore up and down that he has no idea what it means."

"Well, did she have any enemies?" Roxanna asked.

"Everybody loved her, she was friendly," Elliot explained. "The woman was a saint. No complaints, PTA parent, not even a freakin' parking ticket. Clean as a whistle."

"None of the neighbors saw anything suspicious, and her husband said that she hadn't been acting out of the ordinary," Roxanna added. "If she was being stalked, then no one knew, not even Martha. Look at the execution…the perp was calculating, he picked the lock to the back door, he's pretty much methodical, except the cord to the vacuum was an opportunity, but he did intend to kill her. Look at how many cuts and stabs he gave her…he's definitely killed before."

Elliot just looked at her. "What were you, a criminal psychologist in another life?"

"Eh, I read a lot," Roxanna shrugged. "It helps with cases, and identifying pathology."

"That's what Dr. Huang is for," John quipped. "Speaking of him, do you think we might need to call him? I mean, the perp could be out looking for another fix right now."

"Well, I don't want to wait for him to kill again," Elliot said.

"I'll search again for any other similar modus operandi," Roxanna offered.

"Maybe this is the first time he's killed," Fin suggested. "I mean, the letter could mean he's just getting started."

Elliot nodded. "Good point. Pervs always go through their own sick step program. Giardi and I will talk to robbery."

"You might want to hold off on that," Cragen said as he came out of his office. "A victim just called me. They said that they saw the story on Martha Branigan and she's decided to come forward with some information next week."


	5. Chapter Four

Blood Deep

Chapter Four

**Richmond Police Department**

**Richmond, Virginia **

**1-2 Precinct**

**SCU Squad Room**

**8:23 PM Saturday, December 10**

Detective Harland Jessup rubbed his hand over his face as he sat back in his chair in the squad room. He looked over the photos of the most brutal attack he'd ever seen of his career. Even though he worked the Special Crimes unit, this case…he couldn't hand over. It kept haunting him for three years, and now the same murders were happening in New York.

"I knew I should have caught the little bastard when I had the chance," Harland said to himself.

"Talking to yourself again, Jessup?" Detective Brenda Drake chuckled as she came into the otherwise empty squad room. "Go home. It's late."

"Nah," Harland said.

Brenda came over to him and looked at the photos on his desk.

"Still bothering you, huh?" She asked.

"Yeah, and now the same kind of murders are happening in New York," Harland sighed. "I wish I could wash my hands of it, you know? Leave it for another department to handle it, but…I get this guy. And I want to catch the sick son of a bitch."

Brenda leaned against his desk. "What about the girl?"

"I don't know," he sighed.

"C'mon, let's go get some dinner," Brenda said. "The snow isn't that bad."

"Actually, I'm catching the red eye to New York," Harland said as he stood up and grabbed his coat. "I called around, another precinct is handling the killings."

"Why are you doing this, Harland?" Brenda asked. "The girl recanted, her family's screwed up, and those murders…it could be separate from what went on. All I'm saying is that it's not going to assuage the guilt. Let New York handle it."

"I can't," Harland sighed as he shook his head. "She was this close…exactly this close to talking until her father convinced her otherwise. I spent six months trying to get her to tell me what the hell happened and then she up and moves to New York and that bastard followed her. He's going to kill her."

Brenda sat at her desk. "You're taking a big risk with this. Let it go. If the girl didn't want to talk, then that's on her. We're Special Crimes…not cold case. It ran cold because she let it. And we're not here to hold the victims' hands. That's what Special Needs is for…let it go Harland. It'd be nice to have my partner back."

Harland shook his head. "I can't."

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**2:15 AM Sunday, December 11**

Casey was in a cold sweat as she rolled around in bed, trying to rouse herself from the horrific nightmares that plagued her. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her hair was plastered on her neck and forehead, and her sheets were drenched, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.

"Mm," she groaned. "Please….h-help someone…"

There was a violent winter storm raging on outside, the snow blinding white, and so loud, not even a person's clear thoughts couldn't be heard…nor could the man entering Casey's home either.

She tossed about in bed, becoming feverish, and finally, her eyes opened slightly. The darkness surrounded her in her room, and she looked around in a haze of delirious fever and fear. For some reason, she could smell her mother's perfume and she thought it odd. Her stomach twisted with nervousness and she got up and reached over to turn on the lamp. When the light came on, she saw a man at the side of her bed and she screamed.

"NOOOOO!" Casey screamed as she sat bolt upright in bed, panting and looking around in the darkness frantically.

It had only been a part of a horrific nightmare.

She reached over to her lamp and turned the switch. She began to panic when the light didn't switch on. The light was out.

"Oh God," she cried as she got up and tried the light in her bedroom. No such luck.

She screamed and jumped when her phone rang and she sank to the floor, sobbing.

Maggie came into her bedroom and held her sister tightly.

"Shh, it's okay," Maggie comforted as she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

When no one said anything on the other end, Maggie's heart began pounding. "Hello? If this is a joke…"

"It's no joke, Maggie."

"Leave us alone!" Maggie yelled as she slammed the phone back onto the base.

Casey covered her face and sobbed.

"What happened?" Maggie whispered as she smoothed over Casey's hair.

"It was so real," Casey cried. "I just want it to stop!"

"It's alright," Maggie whispered as she felt Casey's forehead. "Casey, you have a fever. This isn't good for the baby."

Casey sniffled and felt exhaustion overcome her body. Her fever was breaking, and she rested against her sister. Maggie pushed the damp strands of hair away from her face and kissed her. She wanted to help her sister get through all the pain that she had kept hidden for so long.

"You have to tell them Casey," Maggie urged. "I can't stand to see you like this. I hate that I couldn't be there for you, but I'm here now…we have to tell somebody about what they did to you, to us."

"I can't Maggie," Casey sobbed.

"He's going to hurt the both of us if you don't come forward," Maggie insisted. "John will still love you, and sooner or later, he'll find out what happened to you. He's a detective, so you know he'll find out."

Casey sniffled and got up and got back into bed.

"You need to rest," Maggie warned. "I don't like that fever. And you need to sleep."

"Mag, I can't sleep," Casey sighed. "It's from the baby."

"You need to try," Maggie said firmly. "You don't want to lose the baby, do you?"

"Stop, Maggie!" Casey yelled. "I know how to take care of myself. Go back to bed."

Maggie sighed.

**8:00 AM**

Casey finally got to sleep, but it only lasted for about an hour before she was sickened. She got up and went into her bathroom and vomited. Morning sickness was probably the most unpleasant part of pregnancy, and Casey dreaded the rest of her pregnancy because she was so miserable.

She smelled eggs and it sickened her more.

When she was finished, she rested her head on her arm. She was sweaty and achy.

Casey coughed and then pushed herself up and flushed the toilet. She went back to her bed and picked up the phone. She dialed John's number.

"Munch," he answered.

She began to cry and she hung up.

Maggie was right; if determined enough, and he was, John would find out what happened to her and open up a Pandora's box. SVU seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. Everything was connected, but when it came to one of their own, things were different.

Maggie knocked on the door.

"Sister," she said quietly. "I brought you some breakfast. I made eggs and toast. There's some fruit here."

"Thank you Sister," Casey said, rubbing her belly. "I think I'll just munch on the toast and the fruit. You can have the eggs."

The sisters ate in comfortable silence.

"Here, drink this tea," Maggie urged. "To soothe your stomach."

Casey drank the tea and then took another bite of toast. She was pale and tired, and now she wanted nothing more than to sleep.

"You have circles around your eyes," Maggie said. "I think you should go back to the doctor."

"Maggie," Casey groaned. "Please. I'm okay. Morning sickness and insomnia are normal."

Maggie nodded.

"I called Aunt and Uncle last night," Maggie reported.

"How are they doing?" Casey asked.

"Fine," Maggie grinned. "They miss you."

"I miss them too," Casey smiled. "Remember that summer I came to visit and we took the car for a joy ride?"

"No, don't laugh at that," Maggie frowned. "That was scary. That's when the IRA was patrolling around the city. We could have been killed."

"Okay, so it wasn't fun for you," Casey giggled.

"No, it wasn't," Maggie pouted. "Aunt was so mad at us…of course, Uncle didn't take is seriously…"

"There was nothing more painful as when I couldn't see or talk to you," Casey sighed. "Daddy never liked how close we are. After mom died, it seems like that's when everything…sometimes I find myself angry at her for leaving us to deal with this hell."

"Don't blame her," Maggie said. "I don't remember much about her, but don't blame her."

"I can't help it, Maggie," Casey sniffled. "She left us…"

"Because God wanted her," Maggie sighed. "She fulfilled her purpose by having us, and we're here for a reason…we just have to find out for ourselves."

Casey nodded.

"Are you going to services today?" Maggie asked.

"Mag, I haven't been to church in a while," Casey admitted. "Thing haven't been so great the last couple of years."

"Well, you're sick anyway," Maggie said. "I'm going to services."

"John is Jewish," Casey said. "We've been talking about what religion the baby would be."

"Ooh, Uncle wouldn't like that," Maggie warned. "The baby will be Protestant, right?"

"No, the baby will be Irish and Romanian," Casey said. "Maggie, we'll find a church, but whatever we have, he or she will be a part of whatever John and I are. So he'll be Jewish, Protestant, Irish, and Romanian. He'll be a little melting pot baby."

Maggie frowned. "A little confused baby is what he'll be."

"Maggie," Casey whined. "I can't think about all that right now. The kid isn't even here yet."

"But he will be soon," Maggie argued as she got up. "You have to think about it. Have you thought about moving to a bigger house? The baby needs room to grow. It's important the baby is baptized. The Jews don't believe that Jesus is our Lord…it's nearly blasphemous. I like John well enough, but-"

"Maggie, it shouldn't matter," Casey argued. "You lived through the conflicts in Ireland. It shouldn't matter. I believe too, and John and I love each other. We'll find a middle ground."

Maggie sighed. "I know…but it's not a bad thing that I'm concerned about my little niece or nephew's soul. I'm going to services then I'm going to stop at the market. Do you need anything?"

"Mag, how are you going to get around?" Casey asked. "Let me drive you."

"No, you need to be resting," Maggie insisted. "I'll find my way around, don't worry."

Casey hugged her sister.

"Please be careful Maggie," Casey sighed. "This is a big city. You have a cell phone right?"

"Yes, Sister," Maggie said, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry. I can find my way around anywhere. Uncle taught me that."

"New York is a different animal," Casey explained. "If you get lost, call me, and I'll call and find you. John also left the address to the precinct too."

"Casey, go to sleep," Maggie said firmly. "Take care of that baby in you."

**Kathy Archer's Home**

**Yonkers**

**9:22 AM**

James watched from his car down the block as the blonde haired, hazel eyed woman exited the house with two young children in tow.

He grinned to himself, looking at her figure and at how she pushed her hair behind her ear. She was perfect.

His cell phone rang and he looked at the number and sighed.

"What?" He answered.

"I found her and her sister."

"I know," James chuckled. "I called last night. It's so good to hear Maggie's voice. I really enjoyed my last vacation to Ireland."

With that, he hung up and focused on the woman who was smiling as she got into her car.

She was perfect, but not perfect enough.


	6. Chapter Five

Blood Deep

Chapter Five

**Ian and Iris Flannery's Home**

**Northeast Yonkers**

**11:00 AM Tuesday, December 12**

Fin knocked on the door to the Flannery home. Through the frosted decorated glass in the door, they could see someone approaching.

The door opened and a tall, dark red headed man looked between the two detectives.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Are you Ian Flannery?" John asked.

"Yes," Ian answered.

"I'm Detective John Munch, this is my partner, Fin Tutuola, special victims unit," John introduced. "We're here to talk to you and your wife."

Ian sighed. "Fine, come in."

Ian allowed the detectives entrance into their spacious home. They followed Ian into the family room, where Iris was sitting, flipping through an album.

"Iris, honey," he said softly. "This is Detective Munch and this is Detective Tutuola."

Iris was a pretty young woman with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She was extremely pale, and she had a dark line around her neck.

She turned and her face had healing cuts, and her wrists were bruised.

"Good morning," she said with a sigh, running her fingers through her hair as she put the album back down onto the coffee table. "Um, let me get you gentlemen something to drink…I'm sorry-"

"Honey, just rest," Ian said as he gently pushed her back down to the couch. "I'll get the detectives something to drink. Coffee?"

"No thank you," Fin said as Iris gestured the two arm chairs.

"Thank you," John said. "Iris, we're here to talk about your case."

She began to shake her head. "I already told the police everything. Please don't make me retell what happened to me."

"Well, we have your official statement, we're just here to let you know that the man who raped you has raped before," John explained. "And he is what we like to call a pattern rapist. He cut a V into your shoulder. Do you have any idea at all what that might mean?"

"No," Iris said, getting up and going over to the window showing the backyard. "Why are you wasting time asking me the same questions over again?"

"To become familiar with your case," Fin said sympathetically. "I know that this is hard for you."

"You all say that but you really don't," she said quietly. "I'm scared to be in my own home. I'm moving in with my parents next weekend because I haven't been able to sleep, I can barely eat. I had to quit my job because I'm afraid to be around other people. You have no idea what I'm going through."

"I'm sorry," John apologized.

"I don't know anybody with an initial, or a name that starts with a V," she huffed. "I can't go through this again. I just can't…"

She paused and let her husband embrace her.

"I think you better go," Ian said solemnly.

The detectives got up and headed out.

"But there was something he said that I never told the other detectives," she called and Munch and Fin turned around. "While he was raping me, he said, 'That's it. Scream for your daddy.' That's what he said to me."

Fin wrote it down.

"Thanks for your time," John said.

Fin's cell phone rang and he picked up.

"Tutuola," he answered. "What? Damn…okay we'll be there."

"What?" John asked.

"Another woman was found dead in Yonkers," Fin explained.

"And?" John asked.

"It's Kathy's next door neighbor," Fin reported.

**Chelsea Kellerman's Home**

**11:52 AM**

Fin and Munch drove up to the crime scene and they both got out of the car.

Elliot was already talking to Kathy.

"Are you okay?" Elliot asked.

"No, I'm not okay, Elliot," Kathy said, tears in her eyes. "Chelsea was one of my best friends…I'm so glad that the twins are in school…"

"How did you find her?" Elliot asked.

"I was out in the back yard and I-I heard something like a…I don't even know," Kathy cried. "Dear God…"

"Just take a deep breath," Elliot said. "What happened after you heard the noise?"

"I went to the front and knocked on the door, and through the glass I saw her…slumped over," Kathy said as she wiped her tears. "The front was locked, so I went around the back and her back door was still open. I walked in and that's when I found her naked and she was dead."

"Kath, listen to me," Elliot said softly. "I want you to pack up some things for you and the twins, and when you pick them up from school, take them to the house in Queens."

"El-"

"Kath, we don't know what we're dealing with here," Elliot insisted. "Please, just until we clear things up."

She nodded. "Okay."

Kathy went into her house and Munch approached Elliot.

"How's she doing?" John asked.

"A little in shock, but she'll be alright," Elliot sighed. "I'm just glad my kids were in school."

Meanwhile, Roxanna and Fin were inside the house with Melinda.

"Body temp suggests she's been dead for about thirty hours," Melinda explained. "This one's brutal like the Branigan murder. We've got a serial rapist and murderer. And…"

Melinda paused to turn Chelsea Kellerman's dead body over. "The perp carved a letter K into her back."

"Same MO as the last murder," Fin said. "The lock to the back door was picked."

"Look at the bruising around her wrists," Melinda said. "She was hung from her stairs. Like Marhta Branigan, Chelsea was strangled."

Roxanna shook her head.

**1-6 Precinct**

**SVU Squad Room**

**2:00 PM**

Cragen came out of his office.

"Elliot, is Kathy alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, a little shaken up, but she's fine," Elliot sighed. "I told her to stay at my house until this investigation is over."

George Huang came in.

"So, what's your take on this guy?" John asked as all the detectives looked at the board that showed the crime scene photos.

Huang inspected each of the photos.

"Well, the degree of violence is indicative of rage," he said, shaking his head. "What do we know about these two women?"

"Martha Branigan was thirty eight years old," Roxanna began, flipping open the file. "Married with two sons. And Chelsea Kellerman was twenty five, single, no boyfriend, no children, and manager of an investment company. It was her parents' house. And finally, a third victim raped seven weeks ago, Iris Flannery, only she survived. She's thirty three years old, married with no children."

"And each of these women were raped in the same area?" George asked.

"Yeah, Northeast Yonkers," Elliot mentioned.

"Well, that's one thing about your perp," George sighed. "Even though he's not selective about his victims, he is centered in on particular area. Northeast Yonkers is primarily Irish and Irish-American isn't it?"

Elliot sighed and nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"Your perp could be Irish," George surmised. "And if he hasn't been seen and has no distinctive marks on him, he'd probably blend right in. He lurks, though. He's a man of both opportunity and calculation. Judging from the time span of the murders, he's escalating. He gets off on the whole experience of the rape and then murder."

"That much I can understand, but what's with the letters cut into the backs of the victims?" John asked.

George pondered that for a moment.

"I'd definitely say that the perp wants to send a message," he explained. "This is personal for him, and he feels even more powerful because he sees it as a game. He likes the fact that he can pick and choose and still not give away what he's trying to say until the very moment where he can't contain himself. He'll have to give us the last piece of the puzzle, and unfortunately, it's going to be much more violent and deadly for the next victim."

Everyone was quiet.

"So, how do we go about catching this guy?" Roxanna asked. "We have his DNA but it is not in the system, so there is nothing to match it to. The women in that community need to be warned if he is targeting Irish women."

Cragen nodded. "I know, I've set up a press conference."

"Hey doc," Fin spoke up. "Munch and I talked to Iris Flannery and she told us what the perp said to her while he was raping her."

"And that was?" Elliot asked.

"She said he told her, 'That's it. Scream for your daddy,'" Fin explained. "Could that mean anything?"

"He's reliving the experience of a past rape," George said. "He has raped and killed before and he won't stop until he gets what he wants, and quite frankly, even though the pathology seems right, I don't really know what he wants."


	7. Chapter Six

Blood Deep

Chapter Six

**Melinda Warner's Office**

**Morgue**

**One Police Plaza**

**4:15 PM**

Elliot and Roxanna walked into the morgue and caught Melinda in the middle of another autopsy.

She cut off her tape and then approached the detectives.

"Chelsea Kellerman," Melinda began. "Before the murder, she was in optimum health. Her stomach contents showed soy and granola. Lunch, I'm guessing before she was murdered."

"Any fluids?" Roxanna asked.

"Presence of semen in the vaginal canal," Melinda explained. "And, not only that, the perp gripped her hair so hard, he ripped a finger nail. I have blood and semen from the perp, you guys just need to find me a guy to match it to. The sick bastard messed her up. Several skull and jaw fractures from the beating. Subdural hemorrhaging, her brain was swollen. The guy strangled her to death, and from the looks of her wrists, he hung her from something."

Elliot shook his head. "We need to get this guy off the street."

"There was bruising on her cervix, some tearing," Melinda sighed. "She was also sodomized. Like Martha Branigan, there are cuts on her thighs, breasts, abdomen…this case has priority in the lab, so as soon as you find me a suspect, I'll put a rush on the DNA."

"Thanks, doc," Elliot said as he and Roxanna walked out.

**Casey Novak's Office**

**District Attorney's Office**

**5:35 PM**

Casey was bent over the trash can under her desk. It would make the fourth time that she's thrown up today, and she was feeling tired and dizzy. But she had to get out of the house, against Maggie's advice.

Her whole body felt sore and weak, and she knew that she had spiked another fever. Casey was just uncomfortable, and she knew that it was time to go home. She finished vomiting and then she picked up the bag and tied it. The room was spinning, and she placed a hand on her forehead to center herself.

Just then, John came into her office.

"Hey sweetie," she said faintly. "What are you doing here?"

He sighed. "I came to check up on you. Maggie told me that you were really sick this morning."

"I'm fine," Casey sighed. "I'm getting ready to go home right now."

Casey threw the plastic bag into the bigger trash can outside of her office and she put a hand on her belly. Her clothes were tight now, and she knew that she would have to go shopping soon.

"Are you coming home early?" She asked as she filed things away.

"I might," he said. "This case is…this guy's in the wind."

"I heard about the murders in Yonkers," she said as she sat down and rubbed her head. "It'd be my pleasure to prosecute the bastard."

"At this rate, I don't think you're prosecuting anyone," he said. "You need to rest."

"I need to work," Casey argued.

"You're so stubborn," he sighed. "How will I ever survive in a house with you and mini-you running around?"

Casey grinned slightly.

"I want the baby to be like you," she said as she got up and went over to him. "I'm going to give you a son, and he's going to be just like you."

She kissed him softly.

"The only way that's going to happen is if you rest," he said. "You're already not sleeping as it is."

She nodded. "Okay, I'll take a few days off."

"Thank you," he said.

Casey's head was pounding and she felt so much pressure. Her whole body was sore and she felt herself falling a little.

"John, I-I don't feel right," she complained.

She slumped a little against him.

"Casey?" He asked as he supported her. "What's the matter?"

She began to have a seizure and John lowered her to the floor, trying to support her to keep her from hurting herself.

"I need help in here now!" He called. "Casey!"

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**5:50 PM**

"Come here you little bitch!" the man yelled as he grabbed Maggie by her hair and she screamed.

"Get away from me!" She yelled as she tried to fight him off.

He threw her to the floor and she hit her head against the table. She yelped and put her hand over her bloodied forehead. She pushed herself up and ran into the kitchen. James grabbed her again and punched her and she went into the sink.

"OW!" She yelled. "Get away, you bastard!"

She grabbed dishes from the dish rack and hurled them at the intruder and he stepped back.

"Get away!" Maggie yelled as she went for the stove to grab the frying pan, which was still hot.

She got it and when he came for her again, she swung as hard as she knew how and she hit him across the face and he grunted. She kept swinging and he moved back and tripped over a chair at the table. She smashed his groin with the pan and he cried out in pain.

"Who sent you?" Maggie asked as she hit him over his shoulder. "Who sent you?"

"ARRGHH!" the man screamed.

"Who sent you, dammit!?" Maggie yelled.

"Your father!" He screamed. "He's here!"

Maggie whacked him again with the frying pan for good measure.

She picked up the phone and called the precinct.

**1-6 Precinct**

**SVU Squad Room**

**5:59 PM**

Cragen sighed as he picked up his phone.

"Cragen," he answered.

"Um, I need help," Maggie said in a small voice. "Is there a John Munch there?"

"No, he went out, sorry," Cragen said. "I didn't catch your name ma'am, maybe I can help you out."

"I'm Maggie Novak," she began. "I'm Casey Novak's sister. I was told to call this number…"

"Wait, what?" Cragen asked. "Okay, where are you at? Are you in trouble?"

"Knee deep in it," Maggie said. "I think I killed a man."

Cragen was speechless.

For one, he had no idea Casey had a sister, and two, it was obvious from this phone call that she was the polar opposite of Casey.

"I would really like to talk to John," Maggie said. "Or me sister. She'll know what I'm talking about."

"Why don't I come an help you, and we'll get in touch with your sister," Cragen suggested. "Just…don't move. Where are you located?"

"I'm at Casey's house…um, I just arrived here, so I don't really know the address that well," she chuckled nervously. "Oh, he's okay, he's wakin' up."

"So, he's not dead?" Cragen asked.

"He's alive," Maggie sighed.

"Okay, that helps you tremendously," Cragen said. "I'm on my way. Do. Not. Move."

With that, he hung up and rushed out of his office.

"Fin," he called.

"Yes sir?" Fin answered respectfully.

"You're coming with me," Cragen said. "I just got a phone call from Casey's sister. She said that she may have killed a guy, but he woke up."

Fin furrowed his eyebrows.

"Casey has a sister?"

"Let's go," Cragen said, pulling on his coat.

Just as they were heading out, Fin's cell phone rang.

"It's Munch," Fin said before flipping it open. "Hey John, did you know Casey had a sister?"

"Yeah," John said. "Listen, I'm on my way to the hospital with Casey."

"What happened?" Fin asked. "Is she okay? What about the baby?"

"I don't know," John sighed. "She had a seizure in her office and now she's completely out of it."

"Damn," Fin huffed. "Well, her sister just called the captain. She's in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" John asked.

"She called here saying she killed some guy, but he's not dead," Fin explained. "We're on the way to Casey's house right now."

"Shit," John groused. "Did Maggie sound okay at least?"

"Did she sound okay?" Fin asked Cragen as they trotted down the steps.

"Yeah, she sounded collected," Cragen reported. "What's going on with Casey?"

"Just go," John said. "Bring Maggie to St. Catherine's once everything's all figured out."

"Okay," Fin said before closing his phone.

"What's going on with Casey?" Cragen asked.

"John said she's on her way to St. Catherine's," Fin explained. "She had a seizure."

"What the hell is going on today?" Cragen asked.

**Middleton Suites**

**Yonkers**

**6:10 PM**

Justice William Novak knocked on the door to James' suite. He waited a few moments before the door was opened.

William Novak was sixty years old, and he lamented the fact that his hair finally turned completely gray. He was tall, in good shape for his age, and intelligent. He was currently serving on the Virginia supreme court, and his son was running for mayor in Richmond. When one was in politics, they had to be spotless both publicly and privately, and that meant, leave no stones to be uncovered by anyone willing to dig deep enough.

"Ah, I knew that it was only a matter of time before you showed up," James chuckled.

"You just can't help yourself, can you?" William asked. "The police have been on your sorry arse, and now here you go again. I told you to take care of one thing."

James closed the door and smirked. "I'm still going to take care of it, but I just got a little…sidetracked."

"Well, I got you over here to save your arse in Ireland," William reminded him. "Then you come here and start up again with that nonsense."

James took a long drag of his cigarette and let the smoke out slowly as he turned down the television.

"Nonsense?" James asked. "What about you, Bill? You're willin' to do anythin' to make sure that the Novak family has no blemishes…no bones. What's to say I turn on you?"

"You won't because I've got so much dirt on you, you'll be asking for your last rites," William threatened. "You think you've got shit on me, you're wrong. You don't even know the half of it."

James laughed. "Don't worry, Novak. I won't be tellin' a soul. But I must say that I'm going to enjoy her…again."

William found it in him to swallow the bile rising in his throat.

Kevin Novak came in and sighed.

"I haven't heard back from Kyle," Andrew reported. "Dad, I can't do this."

"You can do this, and you will, son," William said.

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**6:30 PM**

Cragen pulled up and he and Fin got out and drew their guns.

They both saw that the front door was wide open, and Maggie was no where in sight.

"Maggie?" Cragen called. "It's Captain Cragen, we spoke on the phone, remember?"

The living room was messed up, and they both saw the man lying on the floor, bloodied and a few chairs knocked over at the kitchen table. The television was on loud, and there was blood on the carpet near the coffee table. It was obvious that there was a struggle.

"Maggie?" Cragen called again.

Fin kneeled down and checked the man for a pulse.

"He's dead, cap," Fin reported.

"Maggie, it's okay, you can come out," Cragen called again, holstering his gun.

Maggie was hidden in the pantry, and she was crying.

"It's okay," Cragen said as she stumbled into his arms. "Listen, your sister's in the hospital."

"What?" Maggie asked, panicking even more. "Oh God, what'd they do to her?"

"So you know who this guy is?" Fin asked.

"What happened?" Maggie asked.

"She had a seizure," Cragen explained.

"Oh God, what about the baby?" Maggie asked frantically. "She's pregnant. What's going to happen to the baby?"

"Maggie, we're going to call an ambulance," Cragen said. "If this was self defense, you have nothing to worry about."

"Is he dead?" Maggie asked tearfully. "I didn't mean to kill him. He-he barged in and…"

"Calm down," Cragen said. "We'll get this all figured out."


	8. Chapter Seven

Blood Deep

Chapter Seven

**St. Catherine's Hospital**

**Emergency Room**

**7:00 PM**

Casey thrashed her head from side to side, whimpering and crying. They rushed her into the ER and the doctors immediately ran tests on her because her fever was dangerously high, and she became delirious in the ambulance, so they had to sedate her on the way in because she was thrashing about.

"No," she panted. "No, please leave me alone."

John came into the room and he took her hand in his.

"Casey," he said.

She gasped and sat up and she looked around frantically.

"Oh God," she panted as she laid back down. "John…"

"I'm right here," he said softly. "Just relax."

Casey closed her eyes and looked away from him.

"Our baby," she said faintly. "The baby…is it okay?"

"They don't know yet, honey," he said softly. "Everything's going to be okay."

Her hair was completely damp with sweat, and she was pale and the circles around her eyes seemed to get darker. John got up.

"I'll be back, okay?" He said.

He went to one of the house keeping staff.

"Excuse me, do you have a clean wash cloth?" John asked.

"No, sir, I don't have one on me," the woman said.

He sighed and ran his hand over his face as he went to the nurse's station.

"Is it possible for me to get a clean washcloth or a towel or something?" He asked.

"Yes sir I'll-"

The monitor at the station began to go off and it was coming from Casey's privacy room. The nurses rushed to her room and they pulled back the curtain.

She was having another seizure, and they called in another doctor.

John was shooed out of the way and he couldn't take it. He went back out into the waiting room and that's when he saw Olivia.

"John," she said. "What's going on with Casey?"

"They don't know yet," he sighed. "She had a seizure at her office and now here."

"What about the baby?" She asked. "Is the baby okay?"

"I don't know," he huffed. "Everything is happening so fast…"

"I know," she sympathized as she hugged him.

"I knew that she hadn't been feeling well because of the baby, but…" he sighed.

They pulled away and Olivia sat down.

"Liv, I'm sorry," he said. "You need to be off your feet."

"John, I'll be okay," she assured him. "Elliot's on his way."

"Well, Maggie's in trouble," he sighed. "She thinks she killed a man."

"Who's Maggie?" Olivia asked.

"Maggie is Casey's sister," John explained.

"What?" Olivia asked. "Wait…Casey has a sister?"

"Yes, she does, is that so hard to believe?" He huffed.

Olivia sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. She just never talked about her family. She certainly never mentioned a sister."

"Well, I just met Maggie and it seems like everything rolled downhill since she got here. Not that I'm blaming her…"

Elliot walked in and he came over to Olivia.

"How is she?" Elliot asked. "And you need to be-"

"Elliot, Casey's in a lot worse medical condition than I am," she said.

"She's had two seizures and the doctors don't know what's going on with her," John explained.

"Is the baby okay?" Elliot asked.

"They don't know for sure yet, but they think that the baby's fine," John said. "But if Casey gets any worse…"

"Don't think about that," Elliot said. "Casey's just as stubborn as Liv…she'll kick ass and get through this."

John nodded.

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**7:30 PM**

Melinda hovered over the dead body of Kyle Morton. The frying pan that Maggie used was sitting on the table, and it had already been dusted.

"What's the COD, doc?" Fin asked.

"Well, from the looks of things, I'd say she got him good with the frying pan," Melinda surmised. "I won't know more until I open him up."

"I don't want to lock this girl up for murder," Fin said. "It's Casey's sis."

"I'll do my best, Fin," she assured him. "I didn't know Casey had a sister."

"Neither did we," Fin sighed. "Everyone's got skeletons in their closet."

Cragen was outside, talking to Maggie in the car.

"So, you opened the door and he pushed his way in," he repeated. "Then you said that he grabbed you."

"Yes, then I fought back," she explained, pulling the blanket around her tighter. "Then he threw me down and I hit my head against the coffee table. I got up and ran into the kitchen and I threw a couple of dishes at him. I went over to the stove, grabbed the pan and then I swung. I kept swinging to keep him away from me. I hit him across the face and he fell then I hit him in his balls, then I hit him in his shoulder."

"Did you do anything else?" Cragen asked.

"Not to him, no," she said, shaking her head. "I called you, then I hid in the pantry."

"Okay, I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay?" Cragen said. "Then I'm going to need you to fill out a formal statement."

"I just want to see my sister," Maggie said.

"Okay."

**St. Catherine's Hospital**

**Emergency Room**

**8:17 PM**

Casey was finally calm again, and she was so exhausted that she could barely keep her eyes open.

"Hey there," Olivia said with a smile.

"Liv," Casey said weakly.

"Shh, just go to sleep, Sweets," Olivia said softly. "You're a trooper, so I know that you'll pull through."

John was smoothing over Casey's hair.

"You're going to be alright, honey," he said.

"What's wrong with me?" Casey asked tearfully. "I don't want to lose our baby, John. I can't lose our baby."

"You're not going to lose the baby," he assured her.

"I told you I would give you a son," Casey cried.

"And you will," he said. "You and the baby are going to be just fine, okay?"

"Where's Maggie?" Casey asked miserably. "Where's my sister?"

"She's on her way," Olivia said. "Right now, you need to sleep. Stop fighting it."

"Not until I see my sister," Casey insisted stubbornly.

Olivia shook her head. "God, how long has she had this fever?"

"I don't know," he said.

Elliot came back into the room and he stood next to Olivia.

He looked upon his best friend and he hated to see her like this, especially now that she was pregnant. He knew that John was nervous about Casey's condition.

"Have they at least given her something for this fever?" Olivia asked as she got up cautiously. "She is burning up."

"Listen, why don't you two go home," John suggested. "I'll stay here with her and update you in the morning."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah," John nodded.

Olivia and Elliot left the room and John stayed with Casey.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. A thousand possibilities ran through his head, each of them worst case scenarios. He wouldn't know what to do if she died from whatever it was that was afflicting her. The thought of losing his child was scarier than anything he thought possible. It would devastate Casey because she wanted this child so much.

After a few moments of silence, Cragen came in with Maggie.

She began to cry.

"My sister," she said as she went to Casey's bedside. "What happened to her?"

"The doctors don't know yet, Maggie," John said. "What happened with you?"

"Nothing compared to what my sister is going through," she sniffled. "It's nothing."

Casey woke up and she grinned slightly when she saw her sister.

"Maggie," Casey whispered. "What happened to your head, sister?"

"Nothing, you just need to get well," Maggie insisted.

"Um, you're going to have to come down to the precinct," Cragen said. "To get a formal statement."

"Alright," Maggie said as she looked upon her sister. "I'll be back, Casey."

Casey closed her eyes.

Maggie left with Cragen reluctantly.

**1-6 Precinct**

**SVU Squad Room**

**Interrogation Room A**

**9:33 PM**

Cragen brought Maggie a cup of coffee and she thanked him.

"Are you and Casey close?" He asked and she grinned and nodded.

"Yes," she said. "I mean, even though I grew up in Ireland, she always came to visit, and we kept in touch…"

"How did you two end up growing up in different places?" Cragen asked.

"Well, when I was four, our mother died," Maggie explained. "Casey was six…our father couldn't cope, so a year after she died, my aunt and uncle wanted to take me to Ireland to raise…they agreed that sometimes things just have to be done so that Casey and I could have a good life."

Cragen nodded.

"Tell me what happened tonight," he said. "From the very beginning."

Maggie nodded.

"I was sitting on the couch watching the television," she began. "All of a sudden there was a knock on the door, and I thought it was Casey. So I got up and I opened it. That man…I didn't know who he was so I started to close the door, but he forced his way in. I fought him off and then he pushed me down…I cut my head open. I ended up running into the kitchen and I grabbed dishes from the dish rack…I'm afraid Casey won't appreciate that. He was backed away and I grabbed the frying pan; it was still hot and I swung as hard as I could to keep him away. He backed up but then came at me and I swung and I hit him on his face. He stumbled back and fell to the ground. I hit him in his balls, then I got him in his shoulder. After that, I called the precinct. He passed out I think, maybe, but that's all I saw and then I hid in the pantry."

Cragen nodded.

"Did you know the man that attacked you?" He asked.

"No," Maggie said. "No, I didn't. He never spoke to me."

He sighed and folded his hands on the table.

"Maggie, I believe the events of the story," he began. "I believe that what you say happened, happened, but…I don't believe that you didn't know him."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "But I didn't. I didn't know him."

"His name was Kyle Morton," he explained. "And he certainly knew you."

"No," Maggie insisted. "That's impossible."

"Maggie, he had your name and current address where you were staying, and that address was your sister's townhouse," he revealed and she shook her head. "It was in his wallet."

Maggie got up and went over to the window.

"Maggie, I can't help you unless you tell me everything," Cragen said.

"I did tell you everythin'," she huffed. "I didn't know that man."

"Is Justice William Novak your father?" He asked.

"Yes, what does that have to do with anything?" Maggie asked. "Why are you asking me all of these questions?"

"You name, Casey's address, your father's number," Cragen added up. "You've never been to the city previously, have you?"

"No, I've spent my whole life in Ireland," she said.

"Then the chances that this was random are slim to nil," he said. "Did he know your sister?"

"No, Casey wouldn't know him either, that I can be sure of," Maggie insisted. "Look, it doesn't make a difference. I killed a man."

"In self defense," Cragen added. "But Maggie, it's going to look differently if you don't tell me the truth."

"I am telling you the truth!" She yelled. "I told you everythin'! I don't know what he has to do with my father, or me, but I'm certainly in as dark a place as you about it. I need to be with my sister."

Cragen sighed and nodded. "Okay, I'll have you escorted back to the hospital."

Maggie nodded and crossed her arms over her chest.

**St. Catherine's Hospital**

**Room 406**

**10:45 PM**

Maggie dabbed at Casey's forehead and chest.

"It'll be alright, Sister," Maggie whispered. "You're going to pull through because you've got a baby to raise."

"Maggie…" Casey said in barely above a whisper. "What happened? Why'd you come in with Cragen?"

"Nothing that you need to be worrying about," Maggie said.

John came back into the room with two cups of coffee.

"Here, Maggie," he said as he handed her a cup.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "Did they give her something for the fever?"

"Yeah," John sighed. "Casey, try and sleep."

Casey furrowed her eyebrows. "No, I want to know what's wrong with me…I want to know if the baby's okay…"

"Shh," Maggie said as she continued to dab at Casey's forehead. "Please try and sleep. The doctors are going to figure everything out."

After a few more minutes of fighting, Casey finally gave in to sleep.

John put his hand on Casey's belly, feeling the bump there. He rubbed her tummy, and he prayed that everything would turn out fine.

The snow was falling outside, and the forecast predicted freezing temperatures overnight. The room that Casey was in was okay, but it was still a bit cool…to prevent bacteria and other germs from festering. John never really liked hospitals because of the idea that it was literally a building full of sick people. But now was no time for him to be sarcastic. Casey was in the hospital fighting off whatever was attacking her body.

Maggie sighed.

"I can tell by your eyes that you really love her," she began.

"I do love her more than she'll ever realize," he said as he caressed Casey's belly. "And I love our baby. I've been so worried about Casey lately. Before this, she'd been stressed. She hasn't been sleeping well, and every little thing…she just gets upset. It's like she's a different person."

"She'll get better," she promised. "Casey's been through worse."

"See? That's what I'm talking about," John huffed. "Before you came here, she never mentioned you, or anyone else in your family. I didn't even know she had two brothers."

"Andrew and Daniel," Maggie broke in. "Look, you're just going to have to trust Casey to tell you about our family when she's ready."

"Why don't you tell me about your family?" John said. "Casey's going to be out for a while."

"Please, John," Maggie sighed. "I've already answered enough questions tonight. I promise you she'll talk to you. For now, I just need to be here for my sister."


	9. Chapter Eight

Blood Deep

Chapter Eight

**Melinda Warner's Office**

**Morgue**

**One Police Plaza**

**9:00 AM Wednesday, December 13**

Roxanna and Cragen walked into the morgue and beheld the dead body of Kyle Morton. Melinda came out of her office.

"Morning Captain," she greeted. "Roxanna. How's Casey?"

"At this point, she's stable," Cragen explained.

"What about the baby?" Melinda asked.

"They don't know anything for sure yet," he sighed. "But she would appreciate it if we help her sister out, so what have you got?"

Melinda grabbed the file.

"Well, Maggie certainly has a damn good swing," she mentioned.

"Yeah, that obviously runs in the family," Cragen chuckled.

"And the good news is that the most she did to him was give him a goose egg of a knot, and," she paused to lift the blanket on the lower half of Kyle's body. "A swollen testicle."

Roxanna grimaced and Cragen looked away.

"Ouch," he sighed. "Okay, if she didn't kill him, then what did?"

"A massive heart attack," Melinda explained. "There was swelling in the brain from lack of oxygen, petichial hemorrhaging, and when I cut him open, I found seventy five percent blockage in his coronary arteries. So, he must've had the heart attack after he went down. If he hadn't, you would've been able to arrest him."

"Thanks, Melinda," Cragen said. "I can give Maggie some good news."

"Was he related to Maggie?" Melinda asked.

"She says he wasn't, but I think she's lying," Cragen said.

"Well, I have his personal belongings," she said. "Here you go. I'll file the report today."

"Thank you," Cragen said as he took the evidence bag.

He and Roxanna walked out of the office.

"Do you think Kyle Morton is connected to the rape/homicides?" Roxanna asked.

"I doubt it," Cragen said. "It's outside of his comfort zone."

"True, but there are cops patrolling Yonkers as we speak," she explained. "Is Maggie Irish?"

"Yes, but from Northeast Yonkers to the middle of the city?" Cragen asked. "I think she's hiding something, but I think it's separate from the rape/homicides."

They got into the car and headed back to the stationhouse.

**St. Catherine's Hospital**

**Room 406**

**10:03 AM**

Maggie woke up and she looked around the room.

John wasn't around, and she sat up and looked upon her sister. Casey was still sleeping heavily, and Maggie stood up and went into the bathroom to grab the washcloth. Casey was sweaty, and her hair was plastered on her neck and forehead.

Maggie pushed Casey's hair aside and then wiped the sweat from her neck and chest. Casey woke up a bit and looked around.

"Go back to sleep," Maggie whispered.

"Maggie," Casey said faintly.

"Shh," Maggie said. "You need to rest. But your fever is breaking."

"Where's John?" Casey asked.

"He stepped out," Maggie explained. "You're going to be alright, Sister."

Casey sighed and closed her eyes.

"I keep having these nightmares," she cried. "They're awful, Maggie."

"It's just because of the fever," Maggie said softly. "Just try and sleep, Sister. You're going to get better."

John was outside of Casey's room waiting for a doctor to come and explain what was going on with her. He'd already been waiting for twenty minutes, and now he was getting impatient.

Finally, a young man approached him.

"Are you John Munch?"

"Yes," John said.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Victor Morales."

The men shook hands.

"Well, I have a bit of good news," Dr. Morales said. "The baby is doing fine."

John nodded. "Thank God. So, what's going on with her? What about the seizures?"

"We're still waiting on her blood work…" Dr. Morales explained. "Our lab is backed up…we should know within the next twenty four to forty eight hours what she has."

"What about her being delirious?" John asked. "She keeps having nightmares…"

"Were going to keep an eye on the fever and the delirium," Dr. Morales said. "And-"

"Somebody help!" Maggie screamed as she came out of Casey's room.

Dr. Morales and some nurses went into Casey's room.

"She's seizing," a nurse said.

Maggie was crying and she hugged John.

"Go get Dr. Reid stat!" Dr. Morales said. "Tell him we need a dose of Ativan!"

Casey stopped seizing and she began to roll her head slowly from side to side, mumbling incoherently.

"Casey?" Dr. Morales said as he flashed a penlight into her eyes. "Casey?"

"Unh," she mumbled. "My baby…"

"The baby's just fine," Dr. Morales said.

"No…he took my baby," Casey mumbled. "They took my baby…"

"She's delirious," a nurse reported.

"It hurt…" Casey babbled on. "There was nothing but blood and it was gone…"

Dr. Reid came in to administer a dose of Ativan.

Casey began to mumble incoherently as she calmed considerably.

A nurse furrowed her eyebrows at what she happened to see at the nape of Casey's neck.

"Um, doctor," she said curiously. "You might want to take a look at this…"

"What?" Dr. Morales said as he took a look with his penlight. "What the hell? Is that what I think it is?"

**1-6 Precinct**

**SVU Squad Room**

**10:33 AM**

Elliot replaced the phone on the base and stood up.

"That was Munch," Elliot reported when Cragen came out of his office.

"How's Case?" Fin asked.

"Not good," Elliot sighed. "She had another seizure and she's completely out of it."

Cragen shook his head.

"Well, we know that John is going to be out with her," Cragen sighed. "Maggie is in the clear. Kyle Morton died of a massive heart attack, but I think Maggie is hiding something. Kyle Morton had Casey's address in his wallet."

"I had no idea Casey had a sister," Elliot said. "She never talked about her family…not even to Liv, and they're pretty close. So, why did her sister come to Manhattan anyway?"

"That I'm not sure of, but I'm going to do some background on this Kyle Morton," Cragen said. "I want to know how he got a hold of Casey's address."

"You think this is connected to the murders in Yonkers?" Fin asked.

Cragen sighed.

"Maybe, maybe not," he admitted. "I should have considered that possibility, Roxanna. I'm sorry."

She nodded.

"I'm going to contact some people, and the three of you keep tracking any leads on the rapes," Cragen commanded. "Fin, would you like a temp?"

"Nah, I got it Cap," Fin said nonchalantly. "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but…Munch is really the only partner I've worked well with."

"Touching," Cragen grinned.

Cragen went into his office and picked up the phone.

He dialed Justice William Novak's number. There wasn't any answer and Cragen replaced the phone on the receiver.

**St. Catherine's Hospital**

**Room 406**

**11:00 AM**

Casey's eyes were glassy, and she was fighting sleep, even though she was sedated.

Olivia stood up and took Casey's hand in hers.

"Casey, stop fighting it," Olivia insisted softly. "The doctor said to get some rest. I promise you that we'll be here when you wake up. You're not missing anything."

"I need some water," Casey said in barely above a whisper.

Olivia went over to the tray and poured Casey some water then handed it to her. Casey sat up a little and took it gratefully. She drank down the water then Olivia took the cup. Casey laid back down and sighed.

"Try to sleep," Olivia advised.

"Where's John and Maggie?" Casey asked.

Olivia covered up her ailing friend. "John took Maggie back to your place. I told them to go and get freshened up and eat."

Casey nodded weakly.

"I can't lose the baby, Olivia," she cried. "It's me. I'm causing this."

"Honey, it's not you," Olivia said. "And you won't lose the baby. You're strong."

"Liv, you don't have to be here," Casey said. "You need to be resting too."

"I am fine," Olivia insisted with a grin. "But not for lack of trying. I'm being defiant, and here you are sick and all you did was get pregnant."

Casey chuckled a bit.

"The doctor said that it might be the baby," she said tiredly. "I was reading this article thing about pregnancy…it said that sometimes the baby will turn on your body."

"Well, that's good to know, but I don't plan on having any babies any time soon," Olivia smiled. "Especially with a bum ovary and one already taken out."

"You can still have babies," Casey said as her eyes became heavy. "You'll be a pretty pregnant woman."

"Thank you," Olivia said with a smile. "Go to sleep."

"No, I can't," Casey sniffled. "The doctor says I'm delirious…I keep dreaming these awful things…"

"Well, at least your fever is going down," Olivia said optimistically. "You're exhausted."

After a few more minutes of Casey stubbornly trying to stay awake, she finally drifted off to sleep.

Olivia sighed and picked up the magazine and flipped through it. Her cell phone vibrated in her purse, and she leaned over to pick up.

"Benson," Olivia answered.

"Hey baby," Elliot said.

"Hi," Olivia said with a smile. "You must not be working that hard today."

"Roxanna and I split up," he sighed. "This case is going cold. Without a suspect, I don't know what we're going to do. It sucks. How's Casey?"

"Um, well, her fever is going down, and she finally got back to sleep," Olivia said. "She's really worried about the baby."

"I know," he sighed. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," she grinned. "And before you ask, I'm sitting down."

"Good," he chuckled. "Just…don't forget to take care of yourself."

"I won't," she sighed. "I feel so bad that this is happening to Casey. What about her sister's case?"

"Maggie's cleared," he reported. "The guy had a massive heart attack."

"Hope he rots in hell," Olivia said. "Did you call John yet?"

"No, Fin's going to call him," he said. "I'll come by to see Casey later, okay?"

"Okay," she said. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said. "I'll see you later, bye."

"Bye," Olivia said quietly before she hung up.

"Did I ever mention just how cute you two really are?" Casey said quietly.

Her voice made Olivia jump a little.

"Case, I thought you were asleep?"

"I drift in and out," Casey sighed. "Good thing you two weren't talking dirty or anything."

Olivia chuckled.

"I'm not a saucy sex kitten like you," Olivia said.

Casey furrowed her eyebrows and began to cry. "Please," she began tearfully. "Don't say things like that about me…"

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows. "What's the matter?"

"I just…" Casey sniffled. "I made my relationship with John completely about sex, and I feel so…dirty thinking about it now."

"Honey, that is not true," Olivia said softly. "You and John are the most loving couple I've ever known…and just you two have sex often doesn't make you dirty. It's nothing to be ashamed of…you've never been ashamed before."

Casey wiped her tears.

"When I get over this," she began. "Me and you…we should get a room at the Four Seasons, go to the spa, and get pampered for a whole weekend."

Olivia laughed. "That sounds really good. Although I'd much rather hit the gym and get rid of this flab. Being pampered too much is the problem."

"Your flab is nothing compared to the one I'm going to have for the next six months or so," Casey said tiredly. "God, I wish I can just kick this…what's going on with my sister?"

Olivia sighed. "Well, someone broke into your house."

"What?"

"I don't want you to stress yourself," Olivia said. "Maggie's fine…she defended herself, she's fine."

Casey nodded and swallowed thickly. "Can I have some more water, please?"

"Sure honey," Olivia said in a motherly tone as she got up and poured Casey some water.

She handed Casey the cup and she drank slowly.

"Thanks," she said.

"Try to go back to sleep," Olivia said.

Casey nodded and sighed as she closed her eyes.


	10. Chapter Nine

Blood Deep

Chapter Nine

**St. Catherine's Hospital**

**Room 406**

**9:00 AM Friday, December 15**

"_You're going to pay dearly, Casey Ann…"_

"_No! Leave me alone! Please leave me alone!"_

"_Can't do that, Casey Ann."_

"No…" Casey groaned in her sleep. "No…leave me alone…please don't…please…"

John woke up and he heard Casey's mumblings in her sleep. She stirred and furrowed her eyebrows.

"No!" She yelled. "Leave me alone! Please stop hurting me…" she gasped and sat up. "NOO!"

"Casey!" John yelled above her voice.

She began to sob and he helped her lay back down.

"I can't stay here," she cried in her delirium. "I want to go home, John. He-he's going to hurt me again…he's going to take our baby…"

"Honey, no one's going to hurt you," he assured her. "It was just a bad dream."

Casey shook her head frantically. "It's not safe here…I want to go home."

"Home is…relative," he sighed. "CSU hasn't released your house yet."

She sat up again. "I have to get out of here," she sobbed. "He's going to hurt me again, and I can't take that!"

She struggled against him.

"No, Casey, you're still too sick," he said firmly, restraining her arms. "You're not going anywhere. I'm right here, Casey, I'll protect you."

"You can't protect me, John," she cried. "Oh God…"

She began to convulse again and the monitors went off again. She fell back and began to seize and nurses rushed in and pushed John aside.

"Sir, you need to step out of the room," a nurse said and he was pushed out and he could do nothing but look on helplessly at Casey.

A nurse placed a bite guard between Casey's lips so that she wouldn't bite her own tongue or chip her teeth as she seized violently. Just as quickly as it happened, it stopped and Casey's body ceased movement, and she groaned.

Dr. Morales came into the room to once again, inspect Casey. He removed the bite guard, and then he opened her eyelids to inspect her eye movement. He flashed a penlight in her eyes and she responded.

"Casey…" he called loudly. "Casey, are you with us?"

"Head hurts," she groaned. "My baby…my baby…"

"We're going to do an ultrasound soon," Dr. Morales said. "Just hang in there, and we'll get you something for that headache."

Casey began to cry again. "I can't lose my baby…"

She closed her eyes and sighed, feeling lethargic and sore.

A nurse brought in an ultrasound machine.

John was allowed back into the room and he took Casey's hand and kissed it.

The nurse lifted Casey's gown over the small swell in her belly and then Dr. Morales squeezed some gel onto her belly. He placed the indicator on her tummy and he searched for the baby.

"There's the baby," he said. "Now let me find the heartbeat…there it is."

It was a fast staccato and Casey was relieved that she still had her baby inside her. Nothing had sounded as beautiful to her in her life than her baby's heartbeat. John smoothed over her hair, glad that their baby was enduring whatever had been assaulting Casey's body.

"Very healthy heartbeat," Dr. Morales reported. "Everything looks normal."

"Thank you," John said.

"Can I talk to you privately?" Dr. Morales requested of John.

"Sure," John said. "Casey, I'll be right back, okay?"

Casey nodded weakly.

The men stepped out into the hallway and began to walk.

"Yesterday, one of my nurses alerted me to something," Dr. Morales began. "And it may explain the fever at least."

"Alerted you to what?" John asked.

"An infected bite mark on the nape of her hair," Dr. Morales revealed. "It was barely noticeable, but when we part her hair, it's a clear bite mark."

**11:15 AM**

"_Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the good of this family."_

"_I don't understand…"_

"_You saved our family, Casey."_

"_Daddy, I don't understand. Please help me."_

Casey gasped as she sat up in bed and looked around. She saw John standing at the window, looking at the snowy cityscape. It was beautiful, but after a while, the snow would turn an interesting range of colors due to both environmental and human factors, But for the most part, New Yorkers were enjoying the prospect of a white Christmas.

"John," she called quietly and he turned to face her.

"Hey," he said as he came over and kissed her forehead.

"What time is it?" She asked as she laid back down.

"Eleven fifteen," he said, looking at his watch.

She rubbed a hand over her face and sighed. She wanted to go home. She wanted to just get over whatever was afflicting her and move on. She wanted to be safe. She wanted her baby to be safe.

"Where's Maggie?" She asked.

"She went to rest," he said as he sat in the chair next to her bed.

He didn't know how to ask her about the bite mark on her neck. She had to have known that it was there…felt it when whoever bit her did. Why would she hide something like that from him? He would just add it to the list of strange behavior by Casey.

"What?" She asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He took her hand in his.

"Casey, is there something you're not telling me?" He asked.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

He sighed. "Honey, I'm sorry…I just feel like the past couple of months, you've been different."

"I haven't," she said. "Been different, I mean."

John sighed.

"We've been together for a year and seven months," he said, a bit irritated. "We used to talk…and then all of a sudden…you just closed up on me."

"Because I don't feel like talking," she said defensively.

Casey had shut him out because she didn't want to hurt him in the long run with what was going on with her. It was better to push him away, make him leave first that way the pain of John not being in her life wouldn't feel as sharp. He decided to leave first. Hurting him was much easier than letting him find out what happened to her; she knew that eventually someone would put the pieces together and it would be out in the open. Her shame, her regret, her pain…she couldn't live through that again.

"You barely wanted to tell me that you were pregnant," he huffed. "You only told me because I found the pregnancy test in the trash. And even then it was like pulling teeth. Then your sister, whom you never mentioned, shows up, then a guy attacks her…you get sick all of a sudden…"

Casey began to cry. "How is any of that my fault?"

"I'm not blaming you, Casey," he said. "I just want to know what's going on in your head. You won't return my phone calls, but then you show up in the middle of the night at my apartment crying…"

She sniffled and looked away.

Just then, Dr. Morales and another woman came into the room with a box and a camera.

Rape kit.

"Casey, this is Gina Redding," Dr. Morales explained. "She's a rape crisis nurse."

Casey looked at him angrily.

"I wasn't raped," she hissed. "What the hell?"

"Casey, we found an infected bite mark at the nape of your neck," Dr. Morales explained. "And I have the results of your blood test. Your blood tested positive for a staphylococcal infection. It explains your fever, but the seizures…I think that the stress has triggered them. But Gina is here to help you."

Casey furrowed her eyebrows and covered her eyes.

"How did you get bitten, Casey?" Gina asked gently.

"I wasn't raped!" Casey yelled. "Get out!"

Gina sighed and then removed herself from the room.

"Casey, you had to have known about being bitten," John said. "It's okay. You can tell me anything."

"Stop," she cried. "I don't want to talk about it."

Dr. Morales sighed.

"Either way, we'll start you on antibiotics, and I promise you, it won't hurt the baby," he explained. "And we'll go ahead and treat the wound properly."

Casey nodded.

The doctor left the room and Casey turned away from John.

"How did you get the bite mark, Casey?" He asked.

Gina came back into the room.

"I told you I don't want to talk about it," she sniffled. "Just leave me alone about it."

John sighed and ran his hand over his face. "Well even if you didn't want to tell me about it, you should have come to the hospital…that's why you got sick."

She wiped her tears and put her hands on her belly.

"Please, Casey," he implored. "I'm worried about you, and so is everyone else."

She turned over to face him angrily. "I **don't** want to talk about it. I don't know how I got the bite mark."

He sighed. "You're a terrible liar, Casey. You're hiding something, and if you can't trust me enough to tell me, then what have we been doing for the last year and a half?"

"Just leave me alone about it!" Casey sobbed. "I can't talk about it!"

Gina came over to the other side of the bed.

"Casey," Gina began gently. "I can't even pretend to know how you're feeling right now, but it's not uncommon for a victim to deny what happened to them."

John took her hands in his.

"Please," he begged. "I love you so much, you know that?"

She nodded.

"I'm willing to do anything for you," he said. "I want to help you Casey…tell me the truth, honey."

Tears ran down Casey's face and she wiped them away.

"I can't," she cried. "I can't talk about it, okay? I just need you to let it go, John. Please. I just want to get out of here. Trust me when I tell you that it has nothing to do with you. It's nothing that you did, and I know you want me to talk to you, but I can't. I promise you, I'll be okay."

"Honey, whatever happened to you, you can't walk around with it forever," he said.

"I know that," she cried. "I know."

She rubbed her belly. "I just want to be happy…I can't tell you how happy I was when I found out that we were pregnant. I still am, but the day when I finally took a pregnancy test…I was nervous and happy at the same time. I kind of already knew that it would come out positive, but I had to make sure."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"I guess we'll have to move into a bigger apartment, huh?" She asked. "At least for a while. Maybe a three bedroom. But he's going to need a lot of space to run around as he gets older."

John chuckled. "Why are you so convinced that the baby's a boy?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I just want you to have a son. A firstborn son."

"Thought of any names?" He asked.

"Aaron Jacob," she smiled tiredly. "That way we can call him AJ…I've always liked that. It's cute."

"Hey, if we're having a boy, my son will not do cute," John said.

"Shut up, whatever," she said exhaustedly. "Men are so weird…"

She trailed off and caressed over her belly. "Read to the baby."

"You want me to read to the baby?" He asked.

"Yeah," Casey smiled as she lifted her gown up, revealing her belly. John could see the scars on her belly. "Read him a good story…and nothing having to do with history, politics, or conspiracy theories."

"What else is there?" He asked. "He's got to learn this stuff early."

"You will not be filling our baby's little tiny peanut brain with conspiracy theories about JFK," she huffed. "How 'bout Dr. Seuss or Beatrix Potter?"

"Alright, I'll be right back," he said. "Beatrix Potter, she says."

Casey sighed and grinned.

John walked out into the hallway to the elevators. A man in his middle sixties stepped out and John nodded to him.

"Excuse me, what room is Casey Novak in?"

John turned around and headed over to the man.

"She's in room 406," the nurse said.

"Excuse me," John said. "Who are you?"

William Novak turned to John.

"I could ask you the same question," William said.

"I'm John Munch," he said. "You mind my asking what business you have with Casey Novak?"

William frowned. "I'm her father, _Justice_ William Novak. Casey is my daughter. Now, if you don't mind me asking…what business do you have with my daughter?"

"She's my girlfriend," John explained, humbling himself a bit. "It's nice meeting you, sir. I'm sorry for being so suspicious of you, but Casey's been having a rough time lately…"

"My daughter is your girlfriend?" William asked, looking a bit angry.

He went down the hallway to Casey's room and John followed.

Casey was feeling the new curve in her tummy. She supposed she was rather big for just three months. Every piece of clothing she owned was too tight and too small around her breasts and belly. She caressed over the bump, feeling every single scar on it. She felt like she swallowed four tennis balls. She needed to get better for the baby. She wanted a healthy baby. She had to move on with her life. She couldn't let herself fall into periods of depression anymore. She was happier with John than she had been in many long years, and she was giving him a child.

"My baby," she whispered. "My baby…you're going to have a good life, and I promise you me and daddy will be good to you. We're never, ever going to hurt you."

She sighed and pushed on the pudge that was her belly at the moment.

William saw his daughter caressing her abdomen, and he knew then what she'd been up to for the last three years.

He opened the door.

"John, I really-" she looked up and she felt her heart begin to pound in her chest. "Daddy?"

William walked over to her and inspected her. She looked up at him and she felt nervous. He reached over his hand and she put her hands at her side.

"Modesty, Casey Ann," he said as he pulled her gown over her belly and then pulled the blanket up over her breasts.

John came in and she looked at him.

"Um, John," she said in a shaky voice. "Can you…you've been here a long while. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

John looked between her and her father and figured that she needed to be alone with him.

"Alright," he said. "I'll be back later, okay? But Mr. Novak…she's on antibiotics and a sedative, so she's very tired."

William looked at John.

"I will be mindful of that, thank you."

John came over and kissed Casey before reluctantly leaving her with her father.

When he was gone, William turned back to his daughter.

"Daddy, I-" her yelp of pain interrupted her when William tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled it, tilting her head up so that she could look fully into his eyes.

"This is how you repay me?" He asked. "After everything I've done for you?"

"Daddy, no," she whimpered. "Please…"

"You and Maggie are bringing the family down," he hissed.

"Please, daddy," she begged. "Please just leave me alone. I promise I won't tell anybody. I promise. I'll go away. Anywhere you want me to go. Just please…"

He released her and she turned away from him and began to cry.


	11. Chapter Ten

Blood Deep

Chapter Ten

**Theodore Patrick Shipping**

**Along the Hudson River**

**8:00 PM **

Kevin Novak couldn't stand his father.

Nothing was ever good enough for Justice William Novak. Ever since he and his other brother and sister were children, their father had always pushed them to excel in every area of education, sports, and politics. Daniel was the free spirit. He defied William in every way and eventually moved out by the time he turned eighteen. The family hadn't seen him since, and their father even cut him out of his will.

Kevin sat in his car, watching as a few men got out of their cars and headed through the back way of the business building of the company. He took in a deep breath. He couldn't put his sister through the same hell all over again because he knew that this time around, she was going to be killed and he didn't want that. He loved his sister, and he didn't want to see her hurt anymore. She deserved that much from him.

He tucked his gun away then got out of the car.

He headed over to the office building. It was dark inside, but he knew his way around here. He'd been here several times before.

He went downstairs to the basement of the building where he knew Charles Hagan would be.

He opened the door and he found three men in the office.

"Hagan," Kevin said.

Charles stood up.

"What the fuck do you want?" Hagan hissed. "Where's my fucking money, Novak? You're in deep trouble, you know that. And that sick fuck you have in your family…you're lucky I don't turn all your asses in. How much is your sister worth this time? Kinsella can kiss my ass. I want my damn money, Novak."

Kevin just stood there, letting the anger at himself stew.

"Why are you just standing in my doorway?" Hagan asked. "Get out of my building. I know you don't have the money. You're a screw up, Kevin…your whole family is nothing but screw ups. Your own father hates you so much that he's willing to get rid of you too if he has to. Get out of my sight, you fucking coward."

Kevin drew his .48 revolver and it caught all the men off guard as he shot each of the men point blank.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Blood Deep

Chapter Eleven

**St. Catherine's Hospital**

**Lobby**

**10:00 AM Tuesday, December 19**

"John, just leave me alone, okay?" Casey hissed as they exited the hospital.

"Casey, you know I'm not going to do that," he said patiently. "You're going AMA?"

"Yes, and I have every right to!" She yelled. "I can take care of myself, John! I'm not some fragile creature just because I'm pregnant!"

John was frustrated with her. "Casey, it's because you're pregnant that you should stay at the hospital until you're well enough to go home. This is probably the worst decision that you can make right now."

He took her arm and stopped her.

"Casey, listen to me," he said.

"NO!" She yelled as she yanked her arm away. "I'm done listening to other people! I just want to be by myself! I don't need you or Maggie to babysit me!"

"We care about you, Casey," he said. "I love you and I love our baby…I don't want anything to happen to either of you. I want to make you feel safe."

Casey began to cry. "You can't John…I don't feel safe with you or anyone else anymore. I just can't…I can't be with you anymore, John! I can't."

John furrowed his eyebrows at her. "What the hell is going on, Casey? Why aren't you talking to me? I want to help you, but you keep pushing me away. I love you no matter what you tell me, you've got to believe that."

"John…" she sniffled. "If I told you everything, you wouldn't be saying that. You'd hate me."

"Why would you think that?" He asked. "I wouldn't hate you. I don't care about what happened in the past. What I care about is how it's affecting you when you're carrying my child. You have the weight of the world on your shoulders and I just want to take away your pain, Casey. Let me help you."

Casey began to sob and she covered her face and he hugged her.

"Take me home, John," she said in a small voice. "I just want to go home."

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**12:00 PM**

Maggie was cleaning up when John and Casey walked into the house.

She immediately came and hugged her sister.

"Are you alright, Casey?" Maggie asked.

"Yes, Mag, I'm fine," Casey sighed. "I just…I really need to lay down."

John went upstairs with Casey and he helped her get settled in. She took off her jeans and sweater and then she put on some pajamas. She was feeling very tired now, and she laid down onto the bed cautiously, her body sore and weakened by her illness. She laid back into the pillows and sighed.

"Comfortable?" He asked. "You need more pillows?"

"No," Casey said quietly. "Stay with me, John."

He took off his coat and fished out his own pair of pajamas before getting into bed next to her. She brought his hand around her waist and put it on her belly.

He kissed her cheek and caressed over her tummy, feeling the scars there that he had gotten used to over the months since they'd been intimate with each other.

"You wanna know how I got my scars?" She asked in barely above a whisper.

He kissed her cheek and rubbed her belly. "Well, you certainly didn't fall out of an oak tree."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I figured you wouldn't buy it the first time I told you."

"Please talk to me, honey," he whispered. "I can't stand to see you in pain like this."

She began to cry and she turned in his arms and hugged him.

"If I tell you everything, it just has to be between us," she sniffled.

"Depends on what it is, Casey," he said.

"Promise me, John," she begged tearfully. "I'm trusting you with this. Promise me that this will stay between us, okay? I don't want to do any more damage than I've already done."

"I can't promise you that, Case," he said. "Just tell me.

She wiped her tears.

"Okay."

**Westin Hotel**

**Suite 1146**

**Times Square**

**2:00 PM**

William slapped his son and Kevin fell to the ground.

"You've always been a fool," William spat. "Get up!"

Kevin got up and wiped the blood from his lip.

"I can't let you do this to Casey!" Kevin yelled. "It isn't worth it! She's my sister and I'm doing for her what you never did!"

William got in his face. "And what would that be?"

"Protect her," Kevin panted. "I killed Hagan and his cronies and I'm killing James next. I'm not letting you, or them, or James touch her ever again! I'm done."

"The hell you are, son," William said, now cold as ice.

"What are you going to do about it?" Kevin asked. "We both know that you wouldn't do anything to jeopardize your standing on the bench."

Kevin pushed past him.

William grabbed the steak knife from the plate from breakfast. He lunged after Kevin and he stabbed his own son in the back.

Kevin choked on and turned slowly to face his father as he fell to the carpet and bled out.

William turned Kevin onto his chest again and put his foot on the knife handle and pushed it in deeper.

"No. Weak. Links."

William watched the life seep out of his eldest son.

He then took Kevin's body and placed it in the tub. He took the knife and wiped it off before wrapping it up and pocketing it. He took Kevin's cell phone and dialed James' number then hung up and then wiped it off as well before placing the phone in Kevin's hand.

William made sure there wasn't much blood before he packed up his belongings and headed out, turning the sign to DO NOT DISTURB. He then took the stairs out of the hotel. The room was being paid for by Kevin, which provided William with a perfect alibi.

Kevin was weak.

Casey was weak.

Maggie was weak.

All of his children were weak because their mother was a maladjusted, screwed up twenty year old kid who was starved for love and attention, and made children just to have someone to love. She had been pathetic, and Casey had turned out to be just like her mother, and he despised her for that.

Maggie looked most like Natalie, but Casey had Natalie's personality, hair, and character. Casey was compassionate, understanding, but she also just naturally held a deep want in her green eyes. Those same eyes would look up at him, begging him to give her something that he could never give her, never wanted to give her. He would deny her that because he hated her mother, hated the woman that gave birth to her and therefore caused him to hate Casey. He hated all of his children deep down in the core of him because they were born of their detestable, whoring mother.

At this point, as he drove to Yonkers, he figured that he didn't care what happened to him, or if the police even caught him. He just wanted his children dead and gone. Every last one of them because he wanted to end decades of them sucking his soul from him like parasites. That was how he was able to find the strength to kill his firstborn son without hesitation.

He just wanted no traces of the woman that betrayed him so long ago.

**Middleton Suites**

**Yonkers**

**3:00 PM**

William pounded on James' door.

"Open up," William called.

James opened the door and allowed William to come inside.

"Well, well," James sighed as he took a long drag of his cigarette. "Father without his son for once. What happened to the little bitch, anyway?"

"That's not your concern," William hissed. "Kevin killed Hagan."

"Ah, so pansy boy did have balls," James smiled. "Surprise, surprise."

"Kevin's dead," William informed him. "I killed him."

James' face fell. "You really are a cold son of a bitch."

William sighed and put his hands in his pockets.

"Then I guess you won't mind if I screw your daughter again," James smirked. "Casey would have been an even better piece of arse if she didn't try to fight me."

William took the knife out from his bag and handed it to James.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Blood Deep

Chapter Twelve

**1-6 Precinct**

**SVU Squad Room**

**9:00 AM Wednesday, December 20**

Elliot hated that they were closing the Branigan case. He told Eric Branigan and his sons that he would do his best to find the sick bastard that raped and mutilated his wife. But there were no leads, no previous MO, and the DNA was useless without a suspect to match it to because it wasn't in the system.

"Until next time," Roxanna sighed. "This guy is a sadist. He won't be able to lay low for long, and when we catch him…"

"Yeah," Elliot huffed. "The only thing is, I don't want this guy to kill another innocent woman…deprive young children of their mothers."

He put the crime scene photos into the file and just as he was about to label the box COLD CASE, a man came in bearing a box with several bags on top.

"Um, may we help you?" Roxanna inquired.

"Yes, I'm here to see a Captain Donald Cragen."

"Um, sure, he's in his office," Elliot said. "You mind us asking what business you have with him?"

"You guys handle sex crimes?"

"Yes sir," Elliot said. "Sex crimes, child abuse and domestic abuse cases."

"Then you guys are handling the Branigan case?"

Elliot furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch your name," Elliot said.

"I'm Detective Harland Jessup of the Richmond police," Harland introduced. "I can help you solve the murders."

Elliot and Roxanna looked at each other then they ushered Harland into Cragen's office.

"Cap, we may have a break in the Branigan case," Elliot announced.

"Hi, I'm Detective Harland Jessup," Harland said. "I can help you put this case to bed."

"What have you got?" Cragen asked.

"Well, four years ago, the rapes started in Richmond," Harland explained. "I work Special Crimes, there and it fell in our laps with what began as a gambling case, but then…it escalated and I've been following the case since then. I was this close to finding out who was committing the rapes, but the first victim wouldn't tell me because she was too afraid."

"Who was the first victim?" Roxanna asked.

Harland took out the picture.

"This young woman," he said.

"Oh dear Jesus," Cragen sighed. "That's Casey."

"You know her?" Harland asked.

"Yeah, she's our ADA," Elliot said.

"Damn," Harland huffed. "She left for here six months after the rape, and she took the entire case with her. She never got any help…"

"Well that explains a lot," Cragen mentioned.

"She was this close to telling me what happened, and then her father and brother intervened and convinced her to keep it quiet," Harland explained. "Is there a way that I can talk to her?"

"Well, she's been sick lately," Cragen sighed. "This is unbelievable…she's sick and pregnant, and stubborn as hell. She's been carrying this around for three years, so she's not going to give up the details that easily, especially not to you. I'll talk to her first, then we'll go from there."

Harland sighed. "We don't have much time," he explained. "I made a connection, and if Casey doesn't come forward soon…she'll die."

Harland went out into the bullpen and pulled the suspect board out. He opened up the box and began taping pictures up on it and Cragen and the detectives gave the collage a closer look.

"Ten victims," Harland said. "Ten letters."

Elliot shook his head as he looked at the photos of the victims.

C-A-S-E-Y N-O-V-A-K.

"Shit," Elliot huffed.

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**10:15 AM**

Casey tried to stomach some fruit and toast, but she couldn't because of her stomach rebelling against her efforts. She pushed the plate away and John sighed.

"Honey, you have to eat something," John insisted.

Maggie was sitting at the table, smoothing over her sister's hair.

"Casey, I think your fever's back," she mentioned.

"Leave me alone for God's sake!" Casey hissed as she got up and went upstairs to her room.

John followed and he knocked on the door.

"Casey, it's okay," he called through. "I still love you, you've got to believe me when I tell you that. I love you and the baby. It doesn't matter what happened in the past…"

"Just go away, John!" She yelled. "God…you forced me to tell you about the worst thing to ever happen in my life and now you want me to just be convinced that you still love me and still want our child. I knew I shouldn't have told you!"

"It doesn't matter that you were raped," he said. "What matters is how you're dealing with it, and I think you need to talk to somebody, Casey. A counselor, anything. You're not helping yourself by keeping it a secret like this."

Maggie came upstairs.

"Let me try," she said.

Maggie opened up the door and stepped inside Casey's room. Casey was sitting on the bed sobbing.

"I ruined our family," Casey cried.

"You didn't ruin anything, Casey," Maggie said firmly. "John's right. You have to tell somebody. It's eating you alive, and you have people that want to help you. This can't go on forever, Casey Ann. You have to tell someone and stop this…stop _him_ for good."

"I can't," Casey sobbed. "I'm so scared."

"The man that raped you should be scared," Maggie said. "Dad and Kevin should be scared. The more you show your fear, the more they're going to use that to control you. I'll be there for you every step of the way, but you have to be willing to face them Casey. Face those demons and get rid of them once and for all."

Casey covered her face.

John heard Casey crying and he couldn't stand to see her hurt.

There was a knock on the door and John went to answer it.

"Captain, what are you doing here?" John asked.

"I'm here to talk to Casey," Cragen explained.

"What about?" John asked.

"We have a break in the case," Cragen sighed. "And she's it."

"The Branigan case?" John asked. "What does she have to do with that?"

"She has everything to do with it," Cragen said.

John thought for a moment, and now things were starting to make sense.

"She was raped four years ago," John said.

"She told you about what happened to her, then?" Cragen asked.

"Just about the rape, but nothing more," John said.

"Her case is the key to solving this whole thing."

John let Cragen in.

"Casey's pretty upset," John explained. "Maggie and I have been trying to convince her to get help, but she's so stubborn…"

Don put his hands in his pockets.

"She can't keep it inside her forever," he said. "Casey's been keeping her rape a secret for three years…"

"I'm worried about her and the baby," John divulged. "This stress and being sick…it's not good for the baby, and there's no telling what she'll do to herself if she loses the baby…I don't want to think the worst, but…"

"I know," Cragen sympathized. "Can I talk to her?"

John nodded and went upstairs.

"Case, Cragen's here to talk to you," he said as he came into her room.

"What about?" Casey asked.

"Your rape case is connected to the rape/homicides we've been investigating," he explained gently. "He's here to convince you to tell the truth about what happened to you."

"How am I connected?" She asked.

"That's what we need to know from you," he said softly. "This case is going to go cold without you."

Casey shook her head and stood up.

"No," she said. "No. I can get past this…I've done it before, I can do it again."

"We're trying to help you, Casey," John said, getting a little frustrated with her. "You can't keep this a secret forever. Cragen's already figured it out. Whoever you're protecting doesn't deserve your protection. You have to tell the truth because I'm afraid for you and the baby. Think about our baby, Case."

She put her hand on her belly and she began to cry.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She sobbed. "I wanted you to promise me!"

"Casey, I'm not asking you to do this for me, or Maggie," he said, coming over to her and putting his hand over hers on her tummy. "Not even for the baby. I'm asking you to do this for yourself."

Casey hugged him tightly and sobbed.

Maggie ran her fingers through her hair.

"It'll be alright sister, I promise you," Maggie said. "Everything's going to be alright."

John took Casey downstairs to talk to Cragen.

Maggie went into her room to put on some pants. It was alright being half naked in front of John, but she had to have a little decorum with guests.

Meanwhile, Casey sat on the couch.

"I knew that eventually things would come out," she sniffled. "I'm so scared."

"We'll protect you Casey," Cragen promised. "More innocent people could die…you could die, Casey. The man that raped you…he's a sadist, and he won't stop."

"What do you want me to do?" Casey sniffled.

"I need you to tell me everything you know," Cragen said. "Why don't you come to the precinct, and we'll work everything out, okay?"

Casey nodded.

Maggie came downstairs.

"What'd you say, sister?"

"I'm going to tell them everything, Maggie," Casey decided.

Maggie came and hugged her sister.

"You'll feel better, Casey," Maggie whispered. "You'll be free from this and then you'll be able to live your life with John and the baby."

Casey nodded.

"I need to lay down," Casey complained. "I-I don't feel well…I just need to sleep."

"That's a good idea," Cragen said. "You rest and then tomorrow morning, you can come to the precinct."

"Okay," Casey sighed.

With that, Cragen left and Casey laid down onto the couch. Casey felt like she was slowly losing her mind, and she just wanted to disappear into herself all together.

John smoothed over her hair.

"You're going to be okay," he said.

Maggie went into the kitchen.

"Christmas is almost here," Casey grinned a bit. "God, we haven't even decorated…"

"Even though we don't have decorations, I did get you a gift," he said. "I think you're going to like it."

"Really?" She asked. "Did you get something for the baby, too?"

"I got a few things," he hinted. "But, actually, the gift I got for you is actually for you and the baby."

"Great, it's already starting," she smiled.

"What?"

"Well, you know what they say," she began. "When you're a mother, you don't get to have anything to yourself anymore."

John chuckled as he rubbed her belly. "I love you. I love you regardless of your past…what happened to you…you had no control over that, honey. You have to know that."

"I have control now," she sighed. "I can stop him."


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Blood Deep

Chapter Thirteen

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**3:00 PM**

Casey woke up with a start and she looked around her room. There was nothing there and she sighed and laid back down. She was very tired, and she turned onto her side and burrowed into her comforter. There was a knock on the door and Maggie came in.

"I've got some tea for your tummy," she said.

"Thank you Maggie," Casey said tiredly.

"Here, drink some more," Maggie urged gently. "You need something if you don't want to eat. At least your fever is going down."

"Where's John?" Casey asked.

"He's trying to decorate a little," Maggie grinned. "I thought Jewish people don't celebrate Christmas?"

"He's not devout," Casey smiled. "His parents gave him presents on Christmas and hid eggs on Easter."

"Strange man, isn't he?" Maggie laughed.

"Yes he is, but I love that about him," Casey sighed.

"And John loves you," Maggie said. "He loves you so much…don't ever doubt that about him."

Casey caressed over her abdomen. "This baby is so strong…he's got a strong heartbeat, even with what I put him through. Do you really think things will be better?"

"Yes," Maggie said. "It's the only way you'll truly begin to heal from what happened to you. That's what I want for you."

Casey laid down and sighed.

**7:00 PM**

Casey came downstairs and she saw that John had put out her fake mini Christmas tree and put lights on it and there were a couple of gifts surrounding it. She grinned and hugged him.

"Thank you," she said. "You've made my evening."

"I was hoping it would," John said. "So, did you open presents before Christmas or did you wait 'til Christmas day?"

"Usually, we opened gifts on Christmas Eve, but…" she sighed. "Life's too short, don't you think?"

"I know exactly what you mean," he agreed.

Maggie came and inspected the mini tree. "Just think, soon you will have a little baby running around here, peeking at presents."

Casey grinned at the thought. Maggie was right. Another person…a baby would be occupying their time and attention and that little person would be dependent on them for the next eighteen or so years. It terrified and excited her. She was confident that John was going to be an excellent father…she doubted herself as a future mother.

There was a knock on the door and Casey went to answer it.

"That's probably the takeout I ordered," Maggie said. "I left change on that end table."

"Got it," Casey said as she opened the door.

Before she could even utter a word, she felt a hand slapping across her face and she fell to the floor.

"You whore!" William Novak yelled as he attacked his own daughter.

"Casey!" John called as he went over to her.

"You stay away from my daughter," William told John as he grabbed John's shirt and pushed him up against the window, cracking it.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Maggie yelled as she jumped onto her father's back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

William released John and then began to fight off Maggie. She shrieked when he yanked at her hair, but she held fast to him.

Casey had pushed herself up and then she leaned up against the wall, praying that her baby was alright.

William hoisted Maggie off of him, and she fell to the floor. But she countered by drop kicking him and he fell with a grunt at Casey's feet. John pulled a shocked Casey away from the fight.

"Call 911!" He commanded her.

Casey nodded and went into the kitchen.

"You're going to pay for ruining me!" William yelled.

"Shut up!" Maggie yelled as she restrained him.

John had grabbed his weapon and trained it on William.

"Don't move," John said.

"John, this is our degenerate sperm donor William Novak," Maggie introduced.

"Yeah, we've met," John huffed. "What the hell is going on?"

"You'll know soon enough," Maggie panted, winded from the fight. "You'll know very soon."


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Blood Deep

Chapter Fourteen

**1-6 Precinct**

**SVU Squad Room**

**Interrogation Room A**

**10:00 PM**

William Novak sat at the table with absolutely no remorse on his face. He didn't even flinch when Cragen arrested him himself. While William was sitting in the interrogation room, Maggie, Casey and John were up in the loft, trying to get her to relax again. He gave her a cup of tea but she shook her head. She had an ugly bruise on her cheek and she placed the icepack on it.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. "You need the hospital?"

"No, I think I'm okay," she said.

Cragen came up and checked on them.

"Everything okay?" He asked. "The baby's alright?"

"Yes," Casey said. "Where's my father?"

"In interrogation," Cragen explained. "What happened?"

"It was just a misunderstanding," she sighed.

"When are you going to stop protecting him, Casey?" Maggie asked, annoyed with her sister. "The bastard attacked the three of us because he's trying to scare Casey."

"Shut up, Maggie!" Casey hissed. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything to either of you!"

"I know you're afraid," John said softly. "But when is this going to stop? Your father's involved, isn't he?"

Casey began to cry.

"Please don't make me tell you that," she begged. "Just leave me alone."

"Casey, you can't let him control your life anymore," he said. "He only has power so long as you're afraid of him. If you tell about what happened to you, then he loses that. Don't be afraid, honey. We promise to take care of you and protect you."

She wiped her tears and got up to look out the window.

"Casey, there's someone here to help you," Cragen said.

Harland came up the steps and she turned around, and her eyes went wide.

"You," she said incredulously. "You-you told Cragen about what happened to me, didn't you?"

"I had to because you are the one that can stop this whole thing from spiraling out of control for you," Harland explained.

"Why couldn't you just leave well enough alone!" Casey yelled. "Just leave me the hell alone! All of you leave me alone!"

Casey covered her face and she began to sob.

Maggie hugged Casey tightly. "I know that this is painful for you, but you have got to talk about this."

"I can't, Maggie," Casey cried. "I can't go through all of this again!"

"You won't have to go through it anymore if you let it out," Maggie said.

Harland laid out the pictures of the women.

"Casey, look at this," Harland said.

She turned and looked at the pictures on the table. She came closer and furrowed her eyebrows.

"This is the case we've been working," Cragen said.

"Ten women," Harland said.

C-A-S-E-Y N-O-V-A-K.

"Oh my God," Casey gasped.

"You know who raped you four years ago," Harland said. "You were going to tell me, but your father and brother kept you from telling the truth. Now's your chance to put them both away."

Casey sat down and ran her fingers through her hair.

"When our mother died," Casey began. "Things kind of fell apart for us…I mean, we were a happy family, at least I thought we were. We were a normal, healthy family. We had money, huge house…everything was perfect. But when our mom died, things changed. My dad became a different person."

Maggie folded her arms over herself and she sat on the couch.

"Keep going, Casey," she urged.

Casey began to cry.

"My father started molesting me and Maggie," Casey said. "That's why he sent her to Ireland. He had to find a way to keep her quiet and me and her separated. I was six years old when my father started to molest me, and he told me that it was normal…that I had to be there for him like mom was there for him."

She rubbed her belly.

"He always controlled me," Casey recounted. "Nothing was ever good enough for him…my brothers had no idea. I never told anybody about that until now. He molested me for thirteen years. When I left for college, that was the only thing that stopped him from touching me physically. He controlled my finances, where I lived…he would send these stupid private investigators to follow me. It was a nightmare."

"Four years ago, when I was twenty six, I had finished law school and I went back home," Casey sniffled. "I moved back into my dad's house. Stupid, right? He lined up a job for me in Richmond and I took it. I was back in Richmond for four months and that's when it happened."

"The rape?" Cragen asked and Casey nodded.

"I remember it was really late…like midnight or so," Casey explained. "My dad had gone out somewhere, and I stayed home to work on a case. I remember I was upstairs in the study. I was reading something and that's when I heard the door open then close. I thought it was my dad so I thought nothing of it. All of a sudden, someone pulled me out of the study by my hair and threw me onto the floor. I tried running for the stairs, but he caught me and threw me back down. He got on top of me and he pulled a knife on me and held it to my throat. I remember crying when he ripped my clothes off."

Casey put her hands on her belly.

"He uh…bit my breasts, my neck," she continued. "He pushed himself inside me. He raped and beat me raw, called me names, taunted me because all I was screaming was for my dad to come and help me. He said, 'That's right, bitch. Scream for your daddy.' He sodomized me and then he cut me on my arms, abdomen, thighs, breasts…the whole time I prayed that it was just a really awful, horrific nightmare, but it was real."

She began to cry and she shook her head. "I wanted to die. When it was over, he used some kind of cord to bound my wrists and he gagged me. I thought he was really going to kill me…I had really long hair then, and he used the knife to cut it off. He put all my hair into his pocket then. I was in so much pain…I was bleeding, my head was hurting…somehow, I kicked him off of me and I tried to make a run for it, but I could barely walk because I was in so much pain. He grabbed me and then he tied the cord to the railing on the stairs, and I screamed when he threw me over the side and hung me from my wrists. He picked himself up and then left me…to die I guess."

"What happened next?" John asked.

"I worked myself free and I fell to the floor in the foyer," she said. "I sprained my wrists, fractured two ribs, rolled my ankle. I passed out. The next time I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. My dad was standing at my bedside. He and Kevin…"

"That's when you met me," Harland broke in. "Casey…I know that this is painful for you, but you don't have to be afraid anymore."

"My dad told me that I was…" Casey wiped her tears. "I was p-payment for a debt that Kevin owed to the Irish mob…he was in deep with them and my dad…"

"Your own father set you up to be raped?" Cragen asked.

Casey nodded. "Kevin owed a lot of money, and my dad…he offered me up to dissolve the debt. That's why the rapist cut my hair…it was proof that he actually did it. God, I can't believe he…hurt all these innocent women in my name. He was obsessed with me."

"Who raped you, Casey?" John asked.

Casey hesitated for a moment, then she spoke up.

"James Kinsella," she revealed. "He's an assassin for the Irish mob. He's the one that raped me. He's an Irish national, so that's why his DNA wouldn't be in the system here. He uses a visa every time he has a job here."

Harland sighed.

"He's here, and he's going to come after you and probably your sister," he said. "He's fixated on you."

"I want him to find us," Maggie hissed. "I'd like to kick his arse one good time."

"That's not going to stop him," John said. "He's extremely violent."

"I want to talk to my father," Casey said.

William was sitting in interrogation, and he hadn't uttered a word to Fin or Elliot. They stood watch as they waited for Cragen to give them word to take him into custody for whatever William was guilty of. Elliot crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. He could tell just by looking at William that he had been hurting Casey like this her whole life. He'd seen plenty of abusive men like him, and he repressed the urge to drag him out of the chair and beat the shit out of him.

They all thought of Casey as the "little sister" of the group, so they were protective of her like they were protective of Olivia.

After a few more moments of uneasy silence, John came bursting through the door.

"You son of a bitch!" John yelled as he picked up William and hurled him against the wall. "What the hell'd you do to your daughter?!"

"Get off of me!" William exclaimed.

"You're going to rot in hell!" John yelled.

"John!" Elliot called as he pulled him off of William. "Just calm down…this isn't going to help anything. Calm down."

John shook his head.

Casey came in after him.

"John, it's okay," she said. "Don't even waste your time on him. He's going to die in prison!"

"The hell I will!" William yelled. "You…all of you are little bastards! Your mother was a whore and you're just like her!"

"I told them everything, daddy," Casey hissed. "I told them how you offered me up as payment for a debt that Kevin owed, and you forced him to go along with it!"

"Actually," Maggie broke in. "Kevin had nothing to do with the debt. Daddy was the one with the problem. Couldn't have a member of the Virginia supreme court having a gambling addiction. Kevin didn't owe a dime. You wanted to absolve your debt using Casey's body. You should be ashamed!"

"You can't prove that!" William hissed.

"You took away my virginity, my sense of worth, my sense of safety," Casey accused. "I'm having a baby, and the last thing I want is being afraid of you! I'm not afraid anymore because I have a man in my life that loves me and protects me, like you should have done! How could you hurt me? How could you, daddy? Thirteen years, you put your filthy hands on me, forced me to sleep next to you so you could fondle me at night…forced me to touch you…how could you?"

"I will not apologize!" William yelled.

He lunged forward and grabbed Casey by her hair.

"I hate you!" He yelled in her face. "I hate every last one of you and nothing would make me happier than sending you all straight to hell with your mother! You're a whore just like she was!"

Casey yelped in pain as he thrashed her about by her hair and the men intervened.

"Daddy no!" Casey screamed, clawing at his hands.

He finally relinquished her hair and she fell to the floor.

"William Novak, you are under arrest for facilitation of rape, and assault," Cragen listed.

"Arrest me, I don't care," William hissed. "I hope you die! I killed Kevin, I can kill you just as easy."

"What?" Casey cried.

"Get him out of here," Cragen said.

John went over to Casey, who was crying.

"Shh, it's okay, honey," he whispered. "You're okay."

She pushed herself up and hugged him.

"Please don't ever leave me John," she begged. "Please don't leave us…"

"I won't baby, I won't I promise," he said as he held her.

He helped her up and she leaned against him.

"He killed Kevin," Casey cried. "He killed our brother…"

"Do you know where James Kinsella is now?" Cragen asked.

"I don't know," Casey said. "I really don't know where he is."

"Maggie?" Cragen asked.

"I don't know," Maggie said. "Wish I did. I have no idea where he is."

"They can stay at my apartment until he's caught," John said.

"We'll have to crack William to get it out of him," Elliot said before he looked at Harland. "He's your collar. You gonna extradite him?"

"Yeah, the Richmond DA and I have been trying to close this case," Harland said. "He kind of has it in for the judge. He can't wait to fry his ass."

"Will Casey have to testify?" John asked.

"Most likely yes, that is if William pleads out after we bury him with evidence," Harland said. "If he pleads out, she won't have to testify."

Casey sat down and rubbed a hand over her face. Maggie came over and comforted her.

"Where'd he kill Kevin?" Casey asked.

"Casey-"

"He killed our brother, Maggie!" Casey yelled.

"He might be lying, Casey," Maggie countered.

"I don't fucking care if he's lying or not," Casey hissed. "I want to see our brother, make sure he's okay…I know in my heart that Kevin tried so hard to protect me…I know he didn't want to hurt me."

"We'll let the police handle that," Maggie said. "You're stressed enough, sister."

Casey rubbed her forehead and she sniffled.

This was exactly what she wanted to prevent from happening. Now people would never look at her the same. She was a victim now. It was different being on the other side.

John came over to her and caressed her cheek.

"It's over, Casey," he said. "You're safe now."

He helped her up.

"I'll take you two home," he said.

"I'll call you with any news," Cragen said.

They walked out to the car. John wrapped his arm around Casey's shoulders.

"You're going to be okay," he assured her.

Just as they were about to get into the car, a large, black van rammed into a few Sedans and squad cars.

The trio was stunned, and then the van opened up and two men came out and first assaulted John. The other man grabbed Casey and Maggie tried to grab Casey.

"JOHN!" Casey screamed. "NOOO!"

John fought the other assailant off then he lunged for Casey. He grabbed her wrist in a strong grip and tried to pull her back to him. The other man knocked John out then grabbed Maggie, who was trying to fight him as hard as she could.

"Let us go, you bastards!" She screamed.

Another officer came out of the precinct after hearing the commotion from the front desk, his gun trained on one of the abductors, but the abductor was too quick and he shot the uniform in the abdomen.

The men put Casey and Maggie into the van and then drove off.

**1-6 Precinct**

**SVU Squad Room**

**12:30 AM**

Arthur Branch walked into the squad room, wanting to know what was going on with Casey. He had given her time off to recuperate from her hospital stay, and now she had been abducted.

"Any word on where Casey might be?" He asked Cragen, who was on the phone along with other detectives and even clerks, trying search for possible locations where the abductors might have taken Casey.

"Not yet," Cragen said. "We're using all available manpower to find her and her sister."

Elliot and Roxanna were working on possible locations on the maps. They listed abandoned warehouses, row houses, piers and the like.

"Yes, thank you very much," Roxanna said as she hung up. "Got a lead on a location."


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Blood Deep

Chapter Fifteen

**The Van**

**Brighton Beach**

**1:00 AM Thursday, December 21**

Casey and Maggie were bound and gagged by the abductors, and they didn't know who was driving. Maggie was stubborn as hell though, and she managed to kick one of the men in the balls before he bound her feet too. He was still hunched over himself, trying to make the pain in his genitals go away. Maggie growled in frustration as she quit fighting being bound.

Casey sniffled as she closed her eyes.

"Feisty bitch got you in the balls," the other man taunted. "What? You can't handle a girl that weighs probably about one twenty, one thirty?"

"Shut the fuck up," the man with the sore genitals groused. "The bitch kicked me hard."

"Both of you shut up," the man driving said.

Maggie was less concerned about herself. She wanted to protect her pregnant sister, who was too quiet. She scooted closer to make sure that Casey was okay. When she opened her eyes, Maggie was assured. Casey closed her eyes again. She felt so tired, and she started to shiver. She just wanted the whole thing to be over.

She could have taken her secret to the grave, but her father would have never left her alone. She thought about her baby and how she had to hang on for her child. For John. He would want her to hang on for their baby, even though she was at her wit's end. She just wanted to curl up in a corner and die, but then she would leave everyone she loved behind.

At least Maggie had calmed down considerably. She wasn't helping anything by fighting two strong men, even though she was quite the fighter.

After what seemed like an eternity, the van stopped and the door opened up.

The men helped Casey and Maggie out of the van. Casey looked around. They were by the water, and it was bone cold. The wind was picking up, and they heard wood creaking as they approached a dilapidated beach cabin. There were several of them, and they were all about to be swept away by the high tide and the winds.

"Move," the men said.

They shoved the women into the cabin and there, Casey gasped when she saw that it was James when he turned around in the dim light.

"Hello Casey Ann," he said in his thick Irish accent. "Thought I wouldn't be seein' you again."

He came over to her and grabbed her and dragged her to the back of the small cabin where there was a bed. Then he took the gag from Maggie's mouth.

"You son of a bitch!" Maggie hissed. "Don't hurt her! She's pregnant! Hurt me, you coward!"

"Oh, I intend to," James smiled dementedly. "But I think I'll like your sister more. Then I'll enjoy cuttin' that baby right out of her."

Both James and Maggie fell to the dirty, sandy floor when water crashed into the doomed cabin.

Casey rolled off of the bed and onto the floor, yelping when she hit the floor hard and banged her head. She shook it off and that's when she found shards of sharp glass.

James climbed on top of Maggie and he lifted up her sweater.

"Maybe I should start with you," James hissed before he pulled a cup on Maggie's bra down and bit her breast.

Maggie cried out in pain as she tried to fight James.

The other two men had already left the sisters to Kinsella's mercies. Casey nearly cried herself at Maggie's screams. She whimpered as she tried to cut herself free. Water again crashed into the cabin, and this time flooded it, and cold water rushed in. She lost the piece of glass.

"Looks like I better be quick," James said as he bit Maggie again, making her scream.

"You sick bastard!" Maggie screamed, trying to fight him as best she could. "Leave me alone!"

"Not 'til you're dead, bitch," he said gruffly.

"Hey!"

James turned around and saw that Casey had gotten herself free and had a large piece of wood in her hands.

"Get the hell away from my sister!" Casey yelled before she swung hard and hit him across the face, making him grunt and roll off of Maggie.

James got up and lunged toward Casey, but her anger was much stronger than anything he could deliver. She swung again and got him in the stomach, then she struck his wrists and he dropped the knife, which got submerged in the rising water.

"Go to hell you sick bastard," Casey hissed before she swung hard again and struck him on the head, rendering him dazed and unconscious as he fell into the water.

More water came crashing in, and the cabin began to collapse around them. Casey untied Maggie and Maggie fixed herself. The sisters headed to the door, but it was locked from the outside.

"Dammit!" Casey yelled. "And the windows are too small to climb through."

There was a loud snap, and it made them stop.

"What was that?" Maggie asked.

The strong current crashed into the cabin and there was another loud snap and the cabin fell completely apart. The current took part of the cabin with it and began to pull them out to sea.

It was windy, and loud, and cold, and Casey struggled against the current.

"MAGGIE!" Casey called. "MAGGIE!"

"CASEY!" Maggie yelled. "Take my hand!"

Casey took Maggie's hand and the sisters swam together to get on top of the piece of floor that was floating. The only light provided was the light from the cityscape.

They were almost to their makeshift floatation device when Maggie screamed out in pain when she felt a stab in her lower back.

"AHHH!" Maggie screamed.

James rose from below the surface and he grabbed Casey.

"NO!" Casey screamed. "SOMEBODY HELP US!"

Maggie punched James and then he released Casey.

A helicopter could be heard in the distance.

They were getting further and further away from the shore, and Casey debated on whether she and Maggie would make it back before they got swept too far away.

"Casey, get on the boards!" Maggie yelled.

James dunked her under the water. They were each fighting for their lives.

Maggie gasped when he brought her back up.

"Now Casey! You can still make it!"

More of the cabin came rushing back and the roof came.

"MAGGIE!" Casey screamed as the roof came and submerged both James and Maggie. "Maggie!"

Casey was shivering on the boards as she searched in the darkness for any signs of her sister.

"Maggie! Don't do this to me!" Casey sobbed. "MAGGIE!"

A bright light shined upon Casey floating along in the strong current. There were squad cars driving up on shore.

"Maggie," she cried.

A man lowered to her on a wire.

"Ms. Novak!"

"Yeah!" Casey called over the noise of the helicopter.

He picked her up and he strung her to him as well before he signaled to be taken back up.

Once she was up inside the helicopter, she was shivering and there was a paramedic on board to check her vitals.

"Y-you have to look for my sister," Casey said, shaking uncontrollably from the cold.

The helicopter flew her to shore, and she realized that she was father away off shore than she had thought. She could have died trying to swim back in the helicopter hadn't of spotted her. She saw the cabin and there was nothing left but part of it's dingy floor and it's part of its flimsy frame.

It the helicopter landed in an open lot where an ambulance was waiting.

They got her on a gurney and covered her up and strapped her in tightly. John met her and smoothed over her wet hair.

"You're okay," he said to her.

"You have to find Maggie," Casey said weakly.

"They're looking for her now," he said. "She'll be okay."

Casey closed her eyes.

"Maggie…"


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Blood Deep

Chapter Sixteen

**St. Catherine's Hospital**

**Prenatal ICU**

**5:00 AM**

When they got her into the hospital, she had started bleeding, and the doctor immediately transferred her to the prenatal ICU. John and practically the rest of the team waited around for news on Casey and the baby's condition. There was still no sign of Maggie, but another precinct was holding the three assailants and they easily gave up James Kinsella and each other. All three of them said that William Novak had orchestrated the whole thing.

As for James, he was found bound, gagged, and drugged a few miles away from where he tried to hold Casey and Maggie captive. James was taken into custody, and he was going to be extradited to Virginia to stand trial as was William Novak.

John didn't know how to tell Casey that her sister might have died and that her body had been swept away. It would break her heart, but she had to know the truth.

Olivia had dozed off, but she was so stubborn. She didn't want to go home, and she was in a bad mood because Dr. Wagner told her that she had to be out of work longer because she wasn't healing properly. Olivia just couldn't stay off of her feet and rest, and her worry for Casey didn't help anything either.

Finally, after waiting for so long, a doctor came into the waiting room.

"Are you all here for Casey Novak?"

"Yes," John said quickly.

Olivia woke up and she sat up straight in her chair.

"Is she okay?" John asked. "Is the baby alright?"

"Both Casey and the baby are going to be fine," the doctor reported. "She had a little scare, but the bleeding was minimal, and the baby's fine, so long as Casey keeps her stress levels down."

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"I'm Dr. Anderson, by the way," he said, shaking John's hand. "I'd like to keep her here for a few days, though, just to make sure that there aren't any further complications. I see that she has a staph infection, so of course I'll be keeping her on a round of antibiotics, but otherwise, with rest, and recovering from her infection, she and the baby should be in good health. You can see her now, but only a couple of people at a time."

Casey was about to fall asleep when John came into her room with Cragen.

"Hey," she said in a small voice. "The doctor said that the baby was okay…"

"We heard," John said as he leaned down and kissed her.

"What about Maggie?" Casey asked. "Did they find Maggie?"

Cragen sighed and shook his head.

"The search team did their best, honey," John explained. "There's no trace of Maggie anywhere. They think that she may have drowned and been carried out to sea by the current."

Casey began to cry and she sat up and hugged John.

"My sister," she sobbed. "She has to be out there somewhere…she has to be. My brother might be dead, my sister might be dead…"

"Honey, we are going to do all we can," John assured her. "You need to rest, okay? But I have some good news for you. James Kinsella is in custody and he's being extradited back to Virginia."

Casey sighed.

"It's over," she said. "It's finally over…"

She laid back down and let exhaustion take over.

"Thank you," she said before drifting off from both the medicine, and finally getting calm.

"I'll leave you two alone," Cragen said.

John took Casey's hand and kissed it.

"John…"

"Yeah?" He asked quietly.

"Do you still want to know how I got the bite mark?" She asked.

"It would answer a lot of my questions," he nodded. "I just want to protect you, Casey."

She nodded.

"Okay, um," she rubbed a hand over her pale face. "A few days after I found out that I was pregnant, I was walking to my car in the parking garage after work. I unlocked my car and I was about to get in when out of nowhere, this guy slams me up against the door. He pulled a gun on me and threatened to shoot me if I didn't do what he said. He bit the back of my neck…"

"Did he rape you?" John asked.

She began to cry.

"You know, I never got any kind of counseling or anything after I was raped," she explained, ignoring John's question. "I was young and I thought that I'd get over it, you know? But, the one thing I did decide was that it was _never_ going to happen again."

"What'd you do?" John asked.

"I fought him," she said. "I fought him hard, and then he finally gave up and took off."

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" He asked.

"Because I didn't want you to think that I'm some freakin'…walking target," Casey cried. "Or that I'm some pitiful person."

"I don't think that about you, honey," John asked. "I love you so much. You did a good thing by fighting him off. Did you get a good look at the man that attacked you?"

"No," Casey sniffled. "I didn't."

"I'm just glad that you're okay," he said.

She wiped her tears and looked away. "Well, now you know about my family…it's pretty fucked up, isn't it?"

John caressed her cheek.

"Hey, my family's no picnic either," he said.

Casey shook her head and looked at him angrily.

"John, we're not talking normal dysfunctions!" She hissed. "Your father didn't set you up to be raped. He didn't hate you, hate your very existence so much that he wanted to hurt you in every way possible to make you less and less of a person."

"It's not your fault, Casey," he said. "You faced your father and you put him away. You father is the one that hurt you. You shouldn't blame yourself."

"Is it okay with you if I do?" She snipped. "I'm so sick of people telling me what I should and should not do…what I should feel. I'm a victim, okay? I get it. I know because I've told other victims the same thing. I do blame myself for letting a lot of things happen to me in my life. Don't tell me how to feel, John."

"Okay, I'm sorry," he said. "Maybe you should see a counselor."

"I don't want to see a counselor!" She yelled. "What _I want_ is to be left alone. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"I just don't want to see you hurting," he said. "Why are you closing up on me again? You're going to get sick again trying to hold it in, Case. You don't need that right now because it's not good for the baby."

"I just need time to figure everything out, John," she cried. "I lost my family, John. Do you have any idea how painful that is? Maggie may be dead, my brother may be dead, and my little brother Daniel…we have no idea where he went. It's like he fell off the face of the earth."

"We can be a family, Casey," he said, taking her hand in his.

She sniffled and sat up and hugged him. They will be a family, and nothing would tear them apart. When the baby came, they would give him a home, and more than enough love. She would give anything for her child so that he would never feel the hurt and shame she felt her whole life.

**2:04 PM Saturday, December 23**

Casey woke up after a long slumber, and she sighed and saw that it was bright outside.

"Hey," John said as he kissed her forehead.

"Hi," she said. "What time is it?"

"A little after two," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, but I'm still a little tired," she sighed. "How long have you been here?"

"A few hours," he said. "I'm glad that you were finally able to sleep well."

"Hmm," she sighed. "Any word on Maggie?"

John shook his head. "I'm sorry honey."

Casey began to cry and she covered her face.

"I can't lose Maggie," she cried. "I can't lose my sister…"

"The search team only has a few more days," he said solemnly. "If they don't find her by then…"

She laid down and turned away from him, sniffling.

"I caused this," she cried. "Nothing good came out of this."

John put his hand in the dip of her waist and kissed her cheek.

"You found the courage to put a violent man away for life," he said softly. "That's good enough for me. I'm proud of you Casey. I really am."

Casey shook her head. "If I had just told the truth four years ago…Maggie would still be alive."

"You don't know she's dead," he said.

"It's been two days, John," Casey said. "I saw that roof from the cabin…Maggie was trying to protect me. I should have been protecting her."

"Maggie was thinking about you and the baby," John said. "She's quite a fighter…"

Casey turned to look at him. "I want to believe that, John. But another part of me knows she didn't make it."

She wiped her tears then she scooted over on the bed.

"Hold me," she said meekly. "I need you."

John got into the bed with her and held her close like she wanted.

Casey rested her head onto his chest and she felt safe, warm, and loved unconditionally.


	18. Epilogue

Blood Deep

Epilogue

**Casey Novak's Townhouse**

**Upper West Side**

**8:00 AM Monday, December 25**

Casey came downstairs when she smelled breakfast. She felt a little hungry for once, and she went into the kitchen and she hugged John.

"Merry Christmas," she said with a smile.

"Merry Christmas," he said before he kissed her forehead. "Want breakfast?"

"Please," she said, rubbing her belly. "I'm hungry."

"Olivia called and said that she would bring by Christmas dinner for us," he said as he put his hands on Casey's abdomen.

"I'm fat," she frowned.

"Please tell me we're not going to go through this during your pregnancy," John groaned as he kneeled to kiss her tummy. "You're supposed to eat and get fat so our baby can grow. Whatever you want, I'll get it for you. If want…pizza with whipped cream I'll make it happen."

"Ew," Casey grimaced. "Gross."

"Alright pickles and ice cream then," he shrugged, making her laugh.

"As long as you don't start having sympathy pregnancy, I think we'll be okay," she giggled before kissing him.

"Seriously, though, are you having any cravings?" John asked.

"Not for anything in particular, no," Casey said. "But I am hungry."

When Casey sat down, John could see that she had filled out, and her baby bump was noticeable.

She ate quite a bit, and he was glad because the last few days, she didn't have an appetite. She was saddened about Maggie, and he knew that it would take her a while to accept that Maggie was gone. He hadn't known Maggie that long, but he did see that the sisters cared a lot about each other.

"I have to pack up Maggie's things," Casey said quietly as she pushed around her food when she was full.

John came over and smoothed down her hair.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"No, it's okay," he said. "I understand, honey."

"I want us to have a good Christmas together," she said.

He took her hand and led her over to the mini tree.

Casey sat on the couch and John gave Casey her present. It was a festively wrapped little box and she smiled as she opened it. She took out the cotton stuffing and she found a pair of keys. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"John, what are these to?" She asked.

"Our house," he said and she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Y-you bought us a house?" She asked.

"At the end of last month," he explained. "We've still got some papers to sign, but in a couple of weeks, we'll be ready to move in."

Casey smiled and hugged him.

"There's plenty of room for the baby to grow up in," he said.

"I love you," she said softly. "You've taken very good care of me."

The couple kissed lovingly.

"I have something for you too," she said. "You're going to like it."

He raised his eyebrows.

"It's nothing kinky if that's what you're thinking," she giggled.

She got up and went opened up the coat closet. She took out a box.

"Why'd you put it in there?" He asked.

"Because I knew you'd snoop like you did last year," she said as she came back and sat next to him. "I really hope you like it."

John took the wrapping off in a methodic fashion, and Casey sighed and put her hands on her belly.

"John just open it," she urged. "I seriously hope that our baby won't open presents like you do."

"I am," he said. "Unlike some people I know, I'm patient.

She rolled her eyes and snuggled closer to him.

He set the wrapping paper aside then opened up the box. He sighed and grinned.

It was a picture of his family when they lived in Pikesville. He was about nine years old when the picture was taken, and he was standing with his mother and father, holding the newest member of the family and his mother had her hand on his middle brother. It was outside their house.

"I noticed when we first started dating that you didn't have any pictures of your family hanging around," she said. "I found this one and I had it restored for you. It's a beautiful picture."

"Thank you honey," he said. "This is…a great gift. You're right, I don't have that many pictures of my family."

She ran her finger over the photo.

"You were a handsome little boy," she remarked. "Your family looks beautiful."

He kissed her.

"There's another one," she said.

He pulled out the paper and found an identical frame, except it was empty.

"You were right," she said. "We're our own family…and when our baby's born, we can take a family picture and hang it right next to this one. And now that we have a house, it'll be perfect. In our house, with our baby."

"I love you Casey," he said.

"I love you too," she grinned.

Later, Casey sat on the stairs looking out the window. John came and sat next to her.

"I miss Maggie," Casey cried. "I want my sister."

He pulled her into a hug as she cried.

**Wednesday, December 27**

Casey had finally prepared herself for packing up Maggie's things. She debated on whether she should send it back to her uncle and aunt in Ireland so that they could decide what they wanted to do with it, but the thought made her cry. She would have to call them and tell them that Maggie was missing and possibly dead. She could imagine their heartache a thousand miles away.

She sighed and began to pick up Maggie's rather cluttered room.

She picked up Maggie's knit purse and she grinned. Her little sister was always creative…whether it was knitting, crocheting, or even coloring.

She hugged the purse to her and began to sob.

She abandoned the project, not as ready as she thought and she headed downstairs and into the kitchen.

Casey sighed and wiped her tears as she leaned against the counter. One of these days, she would have to pack up Maggie's things.

Her cell phone beeped, indicating a text message. She sniffled and went over to it and flipped it open.

GO TO THE PAY PHONE AT THE END OF THE STREET. BY YOURSELF.

Casey furrowed her eyebrows.

Casey put on her heavy coat then went outside. She looked around before she began to walk to the end of the block where there was a payphone. She looked around and saw no one, and jumped when the phone rang.

She picked it up.

"Hello?" Casey answered.

"Hi Casey."

"Maggie?" Casey asked incredulously. "I was so worried about you. Where are you?"

"It's a long story, sister," Maggie sighed. "And I'll tell it to you someday. But I am okay, that much I want to comfort you about."

"I don't understand," Casey said. "I still have your things…"

"Give it to charity," Maggie said nonchalantly.

"Maggie, please tell me what's going on," Casey begged.

"I can't," Maggie sighed. ". You can't tell anyone else that I'm alive…not even John. As far as the police and your government know, I'm a missing person. You'll be seein' me soon, sister, that much I can promise you."

"Maggie, wait I-"

Maggie hung up and the line went dead.

"Maggie…" Casey sniffled as she let the phone slip from her hands.


End file.
